ASSAM Trinamool Congress President Ripun Bora on Sunday resigned from the party, claiming that the people of the Northeastern State consider it as a“regional party” ofWest Bengal and are “not willing to accept” it as their own. In a letter to All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Bora, the former Rajya Sabha member, said he had offered many suggestions to party supremo andWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to make TMC acceptable in Assam, but those were “not implemented”.

 

“AssamTMC has great potential, but several recurring issues have hindered our progress, including the perception of TMC as a regional party ofWest Bengal.To counter thisperception, we madeseveral suggestions,”Bora said in his resignation letter. Bora claimed that hehad suggested theneed for an Assameseleader at the national level of TMC, declaring the residence of Bharat Ratna DrBhupen Hazarika at Tollygunge in Kolkata as a heritage site and converting theMadhupur Satra in CoochBehar to a cultural hub. “Despite my repeatedattempts over the past year anda half to secure an appointment with you and our chiefMamata Didi to address these concerns,Ihavebeenunsuccessful,” said Bora, former Assam minister and State Congress President. Bora said that he has served as the State President of Assam TMC for over two years and during this period, he interacted extensively with people across the State. “Unfortunately, the issuesmentionedabovehave ledmanypeople inAssamto continue viewing TMC as a regionalpartyofWestBengal. The people of Assam are not willing to accept a party that they perceive as being from another State.

 

“Inlightofthesechallenges and the lack of an adequate resolution,Ifeel compelled to make a difficult decision and have decided to disassociate myself from TMC,” saidBora, whohadswitched over to the TMC from Congress in April 2022. He expressed gratitude to Mamata Banerjee for allowing him to lead Assam TMC and lauded her for the “uncompromising fight against fascist and communal forces”. “My decision to resign is not borne out of grievances but rather due to circumstances beyond my control. Iwillcontinuetofightagainst communalandfascistforces on a personal level. Please considerthisletterasmyformalresignationfromtheparty membership,” he said. Boraclaimedthatunderhis leadership, the party had launchedamassive membership drive, establishing a strong presence across 31 of Assam’s 35 districts within six months. “We expanded TMC’s reach to the block and panchayatlevelsandformedkey cells and departments such as SC, OBC, human rights and minority to strengthen the party’s influence. “Our efforts anda seriesof agitational programmes against the BJP received a phenomenalresponse;however, they did not translate intosuccessintheLokSabha elections. I have already sharedananalysisofthisoutcome withyou,” Bora added.