New Delhi, Mar 18 — Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday he intends to bring all “good” Congress leaders from the state into the Bharatiya Janata Party, arguing this will secure a brighter future for both the BJP and Assam. His comments came after Congress Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi formally joined the BJP in New Delhi.
“We have to brighten the future of the BJP and Assam both. That’s why I want to gradually bring into the BJP fold all those Congress leaders who are assets, not a liability,” Sarma said.
Responding to the Congress’ accusation that the BJP is poaching leaders because it lacks strong internal faces, Sarma said the party began an “exodus” of opposition leaders in 2016. “Let the Congress say what it wants. Our goal is to bring all good Congress leaders into the BJP fold. We started this in 2016 and have achieved 99% success,” he added.
When asked why opposition figures are defecting to the BJP in Assam, Sarma said it was because the party is delivering results in the state. He warned that Assam faces a “big fight for existence” and said that fight to secure the interests of Assamese people would intensify after the Census.
“So, I don’t want any right-thinking Assamese people to be on the other side of the fence. That is why we are deliberately doing this outreach under the guidance of our Home Minister Amit Shah,” the chief minister said.
Sarma also claimed that, given the ideology he attributed to the Congress today, “no self-respecting individual” could remain with the party in Assam. He pointed to recent defections, noting that former Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah had joined the BJP “a few days ago,” and said he expects more Congress leaders to follow in the coming days.
PTI
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/we-started-in-2016-assam-cm-on-bjps-push-to-induct-good-congress-leaders-1609605
Category: Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-03-18 18:47:00
