Ripun Bora, the president of the Assam Trinamool Congress, resigned from the party on Sunday citing the inability of the party to grow in the State because of its image as a regional party of West Bengal.
A former Minister and Rajya Sabha member, he was the State president of the Trinamool Congress for more than two years since 2022. There are speculations that he may return to the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, of which he was the president from 2016 to 2021.
In a letter to All India Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mr. Bora said the people of Assam were not keen on accepting the party as their own. He indicated the people of Assam could have accepted the Trinamool had party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee implemented his ideas.
“Assam Trinamool has great potential, but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of the Trinamool Congress as a regional party of West Bengal. To counter this perception, we made several suggestions,” he said.
Mr. Bora said he had suggested the need for an Assamese leader at the party’s national level, declaring the residence of Bhupen Hazarika in Kolkata’s Tollygunge as a heritage site, and converting the Madhupur Satra in northern West Bengal’s Cooch Behar into a cultural hub.
Complaining that the party’s top leadership, including Ms. Banerjee, declined to give him an appointment to address his concerns, he said it was difficult to change the perception of the people that the Trinamool has no national character.
“In light of these challenges and the lack of an adequate resolution, I feel compelled to make a difficult decision and have decided to disassociate myself from the Trinamool Congress,” Mr. Bora added.
Published - September 01, 2024 04:11 pm IST
