Days after Rahul's yatra in Assam, former Congress minister, Youth Congress chief and AASU president join BJP

Guwahati: Days after Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam, Congress on Sunday were dealt another blow ahead of the Lok Sabha polls when former minister Bishmita Gogoi, and former president of the party's youth wing in the state—Angkita Dutta—joined the ruling BJP, claiming that the Opposition party lacks an atmosphere to work.

Former president of the influential All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Dipanka Kumar Nath, who was among those who led the anti-CAA agitation in 2019 and 2020, also formally joined BJP, saying the saffron party now can only protect the future of the Assamese people.

Bishmita, Angkita, Nath and a few other grassroots leaders joined BJP functionaries at the party's state headquarters in Guwahati in the presence of Bhabesh Kalita, president of the ruling party's state unit, Minister Pijush Hazarika, beside others. Former advisor of AASU Prakash Chandra Das, Executive Member of Mishing Autonomous Council, Purushottam Doley. and a few others also joined the party.

While Gogoi had served as cultural affairs minister under Tarun Gogoi, Dutta, the daughter of former minister and the party's state president Anjan Dutta, was president of the state's Youth Congress unit.

Angkita, however, was suspended last year after she lodged a case against President of Indian Youth Congress, Srinivas B V, accusing him of harassment. The Supreme Court, however, granted an inetrim bail to Srinivas.

"Congress talks about right and empowerment of the women but the women workers are not respected in the party. Congress is no longer the party of Gandhian ideology as it used to be when my father was president of the party. Now main objective of the party is just to rebrand Rahul Gandhi," Dutta told reporters after joining BJP on Sunday.

Dutta, who hails from Amguri Assembly constituency in eastern Assam, had staged a demonstration during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodi Nyaya Yatra on January 21. She said that Congress did not allow her to meet Rahul as she wanted to highlight the alleged harassment meetd out to her by the party's leaders.

Bishmita also said that women are not respected in Congress. She said that the work being done by the BJP-led government under PM Narendra Modi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma encouraged her to join BJP.

Reacting to their exodus to BJP, Debabrata Saikia, leader of Congress Legislature Party, said Dutta had already shown interest to quit after the party took action against her for breaking norms. Saikia said the BJP-led government headed by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma lured Bishmita with promises.

Nath, the former AASU president, said he decided to join BJP as he now believes that the future of Assam and the Assamese people would remain secure under the saffron party.

Nath had led the agitation against BJP for bringing in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that seeks to offer Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants till 2014 from neighbouring Bangladesh.

When asked about his stand regarding the CAA now, Nath said, "A petition against the CAA is pending in the Supreme Court. But I will supprt the stand of my party now since I have decided to join it," he said.

Congress insiders believe that joining of the three promient young leaders is a setback for the party's effort to counter BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls through the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Reacting to the development, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Congress will end wherever he (Rahul Gandhi) sets his foot, whatever is left in the party's support base will erode. Because he is so uninspiring, so arrogant and he has no leadership quality..wherever he sets his foots, will become a good place for BJP. He is the biggest star campaigner for BJP."

Sarma, who was accused of stopping Rahul during his yatra in Assam, earlier said BJP would get more Lok Sabha seats in Assam due to the yatra. In 2019, BJP had won nine out of 14 Lok Sabha seats while Congress registered victory in three. AIUDF and an Independent candidate won the remaining two seats.