Assam Congress leader says Rana Goswami should state reason behind leaving party

Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly and CLP leader Debabrata Saikia has said that Rana Goswami, who tendered his resignation from the Congress party, should come out in public and state the reason for his leaving the party. 

Saikia said that Goswami should state publicly the grievances that he has due to which he decided to exit from the Congress party. 

"I think Congress has given him whatever space they could make for him as a dedicated Congress worker. However, of late, he must have been dissatisfied with the party. So he left the party. Or there are other things we do not know which compelled him to go against the party which he has served for so long. So My appeal to Rana ji is that he should come out publicly and state the reason why he has resigned from the party that he served for so long," said Saikia. 

Saikia's statement comes in after senior Congress leader Rana Goswami tendered his resignation as the working President of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and as an active member of Indian National Congress earlier today. 

Goswami, who resigned from his role as organisational in-charge of Upper Assam, is likely to join BJP on March 4. 

The Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly further said that Goswami should give the reason for his exit as it will help them improve the situation within the Congress party. 

"He must come out over what made him do it. Whether there are any grievances against my own party. or if there are some greivances agaisnt the leadership. Or if there are other personal reasons which we don't know, that will help us to improve our party. If there is fault with us then he should point out. Because such a thing will help the party to grow. And opposition is a must in Indian democracy," said Saikia. 

A source privy to the matter disclosed that Rana Goswami will be meeting Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and later BJP National President JP Nadda on February 28.

The sources further stated that General Secretary of AICC KC Venugopal contacted Rana Goswami, but he didn't receive the call. 

Goswami cited 'several political reasons' behind his decision in the resignation letter he forwarded to APCC chief Bhupen Borah. "I beg to state that unfortunately I am tendering my resignation as the organisational in-charge of Upper Assam including the districts Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Biswanath due to various political reasons", Goswami said in his letter to Borah.

On February 14, two Congress MLAs - Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, who was the working president, and Basanta Das, who was a minister in the Tarun Gogoi government - announced to 'support the government' without leaving the grand old party.

Both the MLAs joined the group of two other Congress MLAs - Sashi Kanta Das and former minister Siddique Ahmed - who too had 'joined the government' but are a part of the opposition party's legislators.