Expelled Congress MLAs Ajanta Neog, Rajdeep Gowala join BJP in Assam
Dec 29, 2020
Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 29 : Expelled Congress MLAs Rajdeep Gowala and Ajanta Neog on Tuesday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati.
After joining BJP, Neog said she had ideological differences with Congress and that "there is no discipline in the party".
"Some days back I had met Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. After this meeting, the way Congress behaved with me has left me very hurt. There are other issues like Congress' alliance with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF)," she told reporters here.
"There is no discipline in Congress and the party does not take democratic decisions and is directionless. Their national leadership doesn't care about grassroots workers. This is the reason why I took this decision of parting ways with Congress," she added.
Neog said that she will strive to work at the grassroots level to strengthen BJP.
"I will try my level best to boost BJP at the grassroots. If I am given some kind of responsibility, I will depose it with utmost responsibility," she said.
Asked whether she will contest from Golaghat constituency, Neog said she has joined the party without any precondition and will abide by the party's decision.
Neog said that she submitted her resignation as MLA to the legislative assembly on December 25.
Gowala told reporters that Congress is "a visionless party now".
"Congress is a visionless and leaderless party now. They have no vision for Assam. I did not consider it fit to be associated to such a party," he said.
"BJP, under the leadership of PM Modi and Assam CM Sonowal, is bringing welfare schemes for labourers. The ordinary BJP workers are serving people in the rural areas which inspired me to join the party," he added.
Asked about BJP's 'Mission 100' for the Assam legislative assembly, Gowala said, "The way workers are strengthening the party at the grassroots, there is a great chance that the party may cross 100 seats in the assembly elections. I joined the party unconditionally," he said.
Elections for the 126-seat Assam legislative assembly are due in the first half of 2021.
