Rebellion threat staring at Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC)

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The threat of rebellion has gripped the state Congress yet again, mainly in the Barak Valley districts. The report of three Barak Valley MLAs quitting their party portfolios has put the party leaders in the state on their toes.

A report was doing the rounds in the state that the APCC (Assam Pradesh Congress Committee) working president and Karimganj North MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha, Katigorah MLA Khalil Uddin Mazumdar, and Borkhola MLA Misbahul Islam Lashkar sent their letters to the AICC general secretary and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh resigning from their respective party portfolios. However, Singh has not accepted their resignations.

The rebellion in the party has its source in the appointment of Abhijit Paul, who was a close aide of former All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev, as the Cachar District president of the party. The three MLAs were irked at the party for not taking them into confidence while appointing Paul as the Cachar District Congress president.

Briefing reporters here today, MLA Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha said, “The rumour doing the rounds in the state has no basis. We did discuss core issues at a recent party meeting, where we expressed our dissatisfaction. We made it known to the AICC, the APCC, and the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Debabrata Saikia. They have already taken up the issue. Neither I nor either of my two other colleagues quit our party portfolios. I will continue to be a Congress leader throughout my life.”

CLP leader Debabrata Saikia said, “All the five fingers of a hand are not even. The leaders of a party may differ in their opinions. The issue of Kamalakshya Dey Purkayastha has been discussed in the party. We took up the matter. Nobody has quit the party. This is a rumour.”

APCC president Bhupen Borah said, “This is a fictitious story to overshadow the old and new BJP infighting in the state committee of the ruling party.”