Bhupen Borah vows to quit public life if coal graft audio proven true; files FIR, BJP turns up heat

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 7, 2025

A political storm is brewing in Assam after a viral audio clip allegedly linking Congress leader Bhupen Kumar Borah to a coal money demand surfaced online. In response, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president on Monday filed an FIR at Hatigaon Police Station, alleging a calculated attempt to tarnish his image.

In a strong statement issued late Monday night, Borah declared he would “leave public life forever” if the allegation is proven. “This is nothing but a conspiracy to break our movement against the illegal coal syndicate,” Borah said.

The audio clip, now circulating widely on social media, features a man—reportedly an aide of Borah—demanding payment from a coal trader “before Bihu,” claiming to act on Borah’s orders. The caller mentions Assam Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur Goswami as the recipient of the money and references past transactions.

Borah’s FIR terms the audio “fabricated” and designed to derail the Congress’s anti-syndicate campaign. He specifically named one Likhan Kumbang as the person who uploaded the audio and urged police to act under the Information Technology Act, 2000, citing defamation and cyber manipulation.

Borah is currently in Gujarat attending the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and All India Congress Committee (AICC) meetings.

Reacting sharply, the Assam BJP demanded that Borah provide a public explanation. State BJP chief spokesperson Manoj Baruah questioned the authenticity defence. “The voices in the audio, allegedly those of Bhupen Borah and Mira Borthakur Goswami, cannot be brushed aside by blaming AI,” he said.

Baruah also referred to another recent viral clip involving CPI(M) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar demanding money from sugarcane traders, claiming these instances expose the “real face” of the opposition.

“The same leaders who constantly accuse us of corruption are themselves neck-deep in it,” Baruah said.

Despite the BJP’s attacks, the Congress has closed ranks around Borah. Senior party figures have called the audio leak a politically timed smear campaign by those threatened by Congress’s stance on illegal coal trade.

Party insiders said the timing—just ahead of Rongali Bihu and during high-level party meetings—was no coincidence. “This is a classic diversion tactic,” one senior leader said.

The police have yet to verify the clip’s authenticity or take public action. However, with elections approaching and coal syndicate issues already politically sensitive, the controversy could grow quickly.

As it stands, Bhupen Borah’s public vow to quit politics if proven guilty has raised the stakes—and the pressure—for all parties involved.