Assam Congress working president Rana Goswami resigns, likely to join BJP

Guwahati, Feb 28 (PTI) Assam Congress working president Rana Goswami resigned from the party on Wednesday and headed to New Delhi where he is likely to join the BJP.

Goswami had on Sunday resigned as the party’s organisational in-charge of Upper Assam citing “various political reasons”.

“I beg to state that I am tendering my resignation as the working President of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and as an active member of Indian National Congress,” he said in the resignation letter addressed to Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.

Soon after resigning, he went to New Delhi where he is likely to meet BJP president JP Nadda in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, sources in the state’s ruling party said.

Leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia of the Congress told reporters that Goswami has not given any reason for quitting the party.

“He has not given any reason for quitting the party. If it is given, we can analyse and take suitable action to rectify the situation,” Saikia said.

“The party had some inkling about Goswami’s decision as he was absent from several political programmes, but he should have discussed his grievances with the Congress state president,” he added.

Saikia said Goswami’s resignation would affect the Congress.

“I will not deny it, but we will continue with our efforts to strengthen the party,” he said.

Asked about the speculations of Goswami switching sides, the chief minister on Tuesday had said he had no information about it, but “he is a powerful leader of the Congress and if he joins the BJP, I will welcome it”.

Goswami was a close associate of former CM Tarun Gogoi, and was elected to the assembly in 2006 and 2011 from Jorhat. He was appointed the state party’s working president in 2021.

Earlier this month, Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha resigned as state working president and along with another party legislator, Basanta Das, expressed support for the BJP-led government’s “development agenda”.