Website Design: The Guwahati
Guwahati: Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajen Gohain has resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying he is unhappy with how senior and old members are being treated by the current leadership.
Gohain, who is 74 years old, submitted his resignation at the BJP’s Assam headquarters on Thursday along with 17 other members.
Speaking to reporters, Gohain said, “We joined the party inspired by great leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, and Murli Manohar Joshi. But today, the people who built the party are being ignored, while newcomers are taking control.”
He added that the BJP is “no longer working in the interest of Assam” and that senior leaders like him are not being respected anymore.
State BJP president Dilip Saikia called Gohain’s resignation “unfortunate and surprising” and said he has informed the party’s central leadership about the matter.
Rajen Gohain had joined the BJP in 1991 and was a four-time MP from Nagaon, winning every election between 1999 and 2014. However, he was not given a ticket to contest in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections or the 2021 Assembly elections, which reportedly left him disappointed.
His resignation comes just days after the BJP-UPPL alliance lost the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections, marking another setback for the ruling party in Assam.
