New Delhi (India) March 18:Pradyut Bordoloi, a former senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP, made headlines on Wednesday by officially joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His decision came on the heels of feeling humiliated within Congress, particularly after he expressed support for fellow Congress leader Shashi Tharoor during a tumultuous period marked by several high-profile defections leading up to the Assam Assembly elections .

Formal Induction in New Delhi

Bordoloi's formal induction into the BJP took place in New Delhi, where he was welcomed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state BJP president Dilip Saikia. This pivotal moment happened just one day after he submitted his resignation to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday evening.

Felt Suffocated in Congress

Bordoloi shared his feelings of being “suffocated and humiliated” over the past two years.
“I have been feeling a little, I would say, humiliated. Probably the reason, it all started from, you know, when I decided to side with Shashi Tharoor. In the organisational election, Shashi Tharoor put forward his candidature and I was his proposer. I don't know why, because I thought that of promoting a thriving democracy inside the party as we had a lot of examples in the past," Bordoloi said.

Two Years of Isolation

In addressing the media, Bordoloi explained that his departure from Congress was motivated by "multiple issues" and ongoing feelings of humiliation.
“For the last two years, I have been facing humiliation and feeling isolated within the Congress. While joining the BJP, I have made it clear that I will continue to work with my head held high for the sake of the Assamese people,” he said.

Clash with Imran Masood

He recounted a specific incident during an Assam Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting that particularly hurt him; when he raised concerns about a candidate he accused of having ties to a criminal nexus, his allegations were dismissed as "fabricated" by Imran Masood.
"I came to know that a communal leader like Imraan Masood said that everything I was talking about and saying about a candidate against whom I had given evidence of a criminal nexus was false and fabricated. Imran Masood, in the presence of the party's top leadership, had the audacity to say that all that Pradyut Bordoloi said was fabricated. The APCC president present there remained silent. This hurt me a lot," said Bordoloi.

Boost for BJP in Assam

Bordoloi's shift to the BJP was facilitated by party national president Nitin Nabin, and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed optimism about Bordoloi's entry, suggesting it would strengthen the BJP's position in Assam and aid in realizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat, Viksit Assam.”
“Today, sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi has joined the BJP. Our state president Dilip Saikia has welcomed him to the party fold,” Sarma said.