Rajen Gohain, a four time BJP MP and former Union minister, has resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party, marking a major political shift in Assam.
Officials verified that 17 other party members, primarily from Upper and Central Assam, also submitted their resignations on Thursday.Gohain, who served four terms in a row as the Nagaon parliamentary representative from 1999 to 2019, filed a letter of resignation to state BJP president Dilip Saikia, resigning from all party positions and primary membership with immediate effect.
Gohain told the media that the party's inability to fulfill its promises to the Assamese people was the reason behind his leaving.
"The party had failed to fulfil the promises made to the people of Assam and betrayed the indigenous communities by allowing outsiders to settle in the state," he stated.
From 2016 to 2019, the former MP held the position of Union Minister of State for Railways.
His exit represents a blow to the Central Assamese BJP's organisational backbone, especially at a time when political dynamics are changing in anticipation of the next elections.
According to sources cited by news agency PTI, the 17 BJP members who resigned with Gohain also sent letters to Dilip Saikia.
Longtime employees from the Upper and Central Assam regions, which have historically been politically sensitive regarding questions of migration and identity, make up the majority of them.
The string of resignations, according to observers, may be an early indication of discontent among some members of the party's state unit, particularly among leaders who believe that indigenous feelings and local issues are being ignored.
