Former BJP MLA Ashok Sarma quits BJP, likely to join Cong

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 2, 2024

Founder BJP leader and former RSS preacher Ashok Sarma resigned from the primary membership of the saffron party on Friday.

A former BJP MLA from Nalbari (2016=21), Sarma has submitted his resignation letter to state BJP president Bhabesh Kalita at Vajpaye Bhawan on Friday afternoon.

Sarma was the state executive member of the BJP. He is lijkely to join Congress, sources said.

In his resignation letter Sarma said: “The party leadership did not speak against some leaders offensive attitude towards me and they did not protest even some leaders repeatedly humiliated me. Therefore, I decided to resign from the primary membership of the party.”

On May 15, the state BJP issued a show cause notice to Sarma for criticising the party leadership. According to show cause notice, Sarma spoke before the media against the party leadership and also made the party’s internal matter public.

The notice was issued after the party’s Nalbari district unit conducted a meeting and complained to state BJP president against the former MLA.

It was alleged that Sarma demeaned the party’s position before the public and also tried to provoke voters against the party on polling day.

Earlier, Sarma was accused of engaging in anti-party activities during the Lok Sabha poll campaign. BJP MP Dilip Saikia had launched a sharp attack against Sarma, claiming that the former MLA has worked against him in the Darrang-Udalguri Lok Sabha seat.

On July 20, Sarma announced his decision to leave the saffron party and opt for other options.

“I was given a show cause notice by the state BJP on May 20. In response to it, I have sought some clarification from the party president, which I am yet to receive,” Sarma said addressing a press conference at Nalbari on July 20.

“I will wait till August 1 and I will take the final decision on the following day,” Sarma also said.

Sarma said he is not happy with the present style of functioning of the present BJP party.

“I am not a founder of the BJP. But I was one of the pioneering leaders, who had laboured to bring the party to power,” he said.

Sarma was denied party ticket in the 2021 assembly elections. BJP had chosen Jayanta Mallabaruah from Nalbarui, who is now a powerful minister of Himanta Biswa Sarma’s cabinet.

“For the past three years, I have been pained by the state BJP leaders. I had to suffer many things in these three years. There is a conspiracy going against me,” Sarma said.

“I sought clarification from the party why I have not been taken into confidence. Byt the party president refused to speak anything. Today he was supposed to come to me. But till this hour, there is no sign that he would come,” he also said.

Targeting chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the former MLA said the chief minister is rruns government at his own will. “He never listens to MLAs or party leaders. There of corruption everywhere,”  he said.

“There is no democracy and healthy value-based politics left in the present party. The current party is being run by a few lobby-centric leaders with religious hatred, casteism and various corruption and immoral things,” he added.