GUWAHATI: Former Assam Congress Minister Gautam Roy, who was seen in a celebratory mood after the BJP retained power at the Centre, joined the saffron party on Sunday.
Another Congress stalwart, Santiuse Kujur, who is a former Rajya Sabha member, also joined the BJP. The duo, along with a former youth Congress leader, wore saffron at a programme in the presence of the BJP’s state unit president Ranjit Dass, party leader and the state’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Two days ago, another Assam Congress biggie, Bhubaneswar Kalita, had resigned in Delhi. Subsequently, he joined the BJP.
Roy, who is called the “King of Barak Valley”, has been very effusive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP over the past two years. When the BJP had won the 2019 Parliamentary elections, he chanted the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan and distributed sweets among people.
Following his joining the party, he said people, who had elected him to the Assembly several times from Katlicherra constituency, were now with the BJP. He said most BJP workers in Barak Valley were former workers of the Congress. As such, he said although he joined a new party, he would, in fact, be working with his former colleagues.
He said he had resigned from the Congress as the party today was not what it used to be.
“I resigned as I was not happy to see the declining popularity of Congress. Congress today is not what it once was. However, I have no grudge against any leader of the party,” Roy said.
He said he got attracted to the BJP to see its performance across the country under the leadership of Modi.
“I have seen how more and more people are embracing the BJP. I never had any personal conflict with the BJP. I personally know all BJP leaders of Barak Valley and I respect them,” he said.