After joining the regional Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, former Assam MP Rajen Gohain accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of operating a "Hitler like authoritarian government."
He left the BJP in October after serving as a member of parliament four times from the Nagaon constituency in central Assam.
"Assam is now a police run state thanks to the BJP led government. After donning the AJP colors, he addressed reporters, saying, "The BJP has become the biggest enemy of the State instead of strengthening its social fabric."
The anti Citizenship (Amendment) Act campaign in the State in 2019 gave rise to the AJP, which was led by former All Assam Students Union leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi. At the height of the movement, Jagadish Bhuyan, the party's general secretary, left the BJP.
Mr. Gohain, a prominent member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) before to joining the BJP, claimed that the Assamese people lost their voice and autonomy when they essentially gave the BJP's central leadership in New Delhi control of the state.
The 74 year old criticized Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's autocratic style of governing in Assam. He claimed that the BJP was plundering the State and allowing outsiders to seize its riches and land by abusing the administrative apparatus.
Mr. Gohain stated that individuals who "did bad things" in the grand old party "are now leading the BJP," taking a jab at the Chief Minister, a former Congress Minister. He said he would feel at ease if the AJP pursued a strategic partnership with the Congress.
Additionally, Mr. Sarma's handling of the late singer composer Zubeen Garg was criticized by the former MP. "When the late singer objected to the cutting down of trees, the Chief Minister would have abandoned a project if he had even the slightest regard for Zubeen.
In the Assamese discussion between the "old BJP" and the "new BJP," Mr. Gohain is one of the veterans with an RSS background. According to reports, the younger "imported" group currently leading the BJP is making the elder group of politicians unhappy.
