Guwahati, July 5 (IANS) The internal crisis in the Assam Congress deepened on Sunday after a letter purportedly signed by two party MLAs surfaced, seeking disciplinary action against Assam Youth Congress President and Algapur-Katlicherra MLA Zubair Anam Mazumder over his alleged misconduct during a meeting chaired by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Gaurav Gogoi.

According to the letter, signed by Laharighat MLA Asif Md. Nazar and Gauhati West MLA Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar and addressed to the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President, the incident took place during a party review meeting held at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati on May 21.

The legislators alleged that the meeting, attended by newly elected MLAs, former legislators, MPs and senior party leaders, had already begun when Mazumder arrived around 30 minutes late.

The letter claimed that when Gogoi questioned him over the delay, Mazumder allegedly raised his voice and spoke in a dismissive manner, disrupting the meeting and violating party discipline.

The Congress MLAs also alleged that the incident damaged the party’s image in the aftermath of the recent state Assembly elections and urged the IYC leadership to initiate appropriate disciplinary action against Mazumder.

The letter surfaced against the backdrop of an ongoing confrontation between Gogoi and Mazumder, which has exposed deepening factionalism within the Assam Congress.

According to some other Congress leaders, the confrontation erupted after Gogoi reportedly reprimanded Mazumder for arriving late to the meeting.

The exchange allegedly escalated when the Youth Congress Chief Gogoi questioned what he termed “double standards” in the party, claiming that other senior leaders who arrived late were not similarly criticised.

Sources within the Congress said that differences between the two party leaders had been growing over organisational appointments and decision-making.

Mazumder’s independent initiatives, including the formation of committees for election-related activities, were allegedly viewed by Gogoi’s faction as bypassing the authority of the state leadership.

The rift is also understood to have widened after the recent state Assembly bypolls, with Mazumder reportedly being kept away from key organisational responsibilities despite his electoral performance.

Following the public fallout, the Congress high command constituted a one-member committee to ascertain the facts surrounding the altercation and recommend measures to restore organisational discipline within the party’s Assam unit.

–IANS

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