New Delhi [India], March 18 : Assam BJP President and MP Dilip Saikia on Wednesday said that the joining of Pradyut Bordoloi to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a "huge setback" for the Congress party, stating that no one with "self-respect wants to remain with Congress."
"Pradyut Bordoloi's joining the BJP is sending a big message as he is a leader of a big stature. Such a leader not staying in Congress is a huge setback for the Congress party. It is not a good message. Nobody with self-respect wants to stay with Congress," Saikia said.
Speaking to ANI, BJP leader Diganta Kalita echoed a similar sentiment, saying Bordoloi's joining the BJP has broken the backbone of the Congress party in Assam.
"The Congress party, which was in power for 50 years, has reached this state in Assam. All the big leaders are leaving Congress one by one and joining the BJP. Pradyut Bordoloi has also joined the BJP. I welcome him; he did the right thing. His joining the BJP broke the backbone of the Congress," he said.
Earlier, Pradyut Bordoloi had accused the Congress leadership of sidelining him, which led to the end of his lifelong association with the Congress party amid allegations of internal mistreatment.
He clarified that the resignation stemmed from "multiple issues" as opposed to a singular ticket allocation for the Assam Assembly elections.
"For me, getting a ticket was not a question of life and death. There were multiple issues. What was important for me was to hold my head high. The Congress party has given me a lot," Bordoloi told the media.
"I want to make it very clear that I am in my second term in Lok Sabha, and there are another three years to go. I could have accepted the humiliation if I wanted to remain as an MP. But I decided to leave and work," he added.
Following Bordoloi's resignation, Congress has fielded his son from the Margherita Assembly constituency for the upcoming Assembly polls.
His departure comes a month after former Assam Congress chief Bhupen Kumar Borah, who served in the Congress for three decades, joined the BJP.
Elections in Assam for all 126 Assembly constituencies will be held in a single phase on April 9, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, the Election Commission of India announced on Sunday.
Assam will witness a fight between the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and Congress for the 126-seat assembly. The BJP government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, will look to secure a third consecutive term, while the Congress aims to defeat the ruling party to return to power.