GUWAHATI: Three-time former Assam Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday severely criticised the BJP for “neglecting” its veteran leaders.
“Today’s BJP leaders have forgotten the sacrifices made by those who have been associated with the party since its birth. While distributing tickets, the BJP overlooked a prominent leader like LK Advani. He has no worth in the party today,” Gogoi told reporters here.
He said despite Advani’s immense contributions in the formation of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he was being treated very shabbily in the party today.
“Not just Advani, even intelligent people like Arun Shourie and others are also neglected. Modi does not like intelligent people around him,” Gogoi said.
He was critical also of the Assam BJP leaders. “(Chief Minister) Sarbananda Sonowal and Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Chandra Mohan Patowary are not real BJP leaders as they had not formed the party in Assam but they kicked the real BJP leaders out of the party,” Gogoi said.
The trio had joined the BJP over the past five years. Recently, the BJP’s Tezpur MP Ram Prasad Sarmah had resigned from the party after being denied ticket to contest the upcoming Parliamentary elections. On Monday, he asserted that he would move around the state to mobilize the old BJP leaders and workers and form a new BJP.