New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday warmly welcomed former Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that the grand old party no longer has space for “self-respecting individuals”.

Speaking to reporters in the national capital shortly after Bordoloi formally joined the BJP, CM Sarma described his induction as a significant political development, and said it reflected a broader trend of Congress leaders shifting allegiance.

“I extend a warm welcome to Pradyut Bordoloi to the BJP. Today, there is no place for self-respecting people in the Congress,” CM Sarma said, launching a sharp attack on the opposition party.

The Chief Minister further predicted that more senior Congress leaders would follow suit in the coming months.

“Within the next two years, leaders like Debabrata Saikia and Ripun Bora will also join the BJP. Many capable leaders in Congress will eventually come to us,” he claimed.

CM Sarma added that the process of Congress leaders joining the BJP has been underway since 2016 and is likely to accelerate. “In the next couple of days, a large group from the Congress will join the BJP,” he said.

Clarifying Bordoloi’s intent, the Chief Minister emphasised that the former MP had not joined the BJP for power or position. “He has not come here to become a leader or a minister. If he wishes to contest elections, we will support him in every possible way,” the CM stated.

Highlighting Bordoloi’s move as a sacrifice, CM Sarma said, “He has not come to gain something but has given up a lot. He has left a respectable position as a Member of Parliament to join the BJP.”

Bordoloi’s switch is being seen as a major setback for the Congress in Assam ahead of the upcoming political battles in the state.

Pradyut Bordoloi claimed that he was “deeply hurt” and “left with no option” but to resign from the Indian National Congress, alleging repeated humiliation and a lack of a conducive environment within the party’s Assam unit.

–IANS

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