Guwahati: The ongoing infighting of the old and the new BJP cadre came to an open in Assam when a cabinet minister Jayanta Malla Baruah who came to BJP from Congress party with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was seen advising a veteran party leader and former union minister Rajen Gohain to take retirement.
The remark of the minister came a day after Mr Gohain resigned as the chairman of Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in protest against the delimitation of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, which he has represented four times.
Mr Baruah while referring to Mr Rajen Gohain's advancing age, equated it to the retirement phase of legendary cricketers. “Now it's time for 72 year old Rajen Gohain to retire," he told reporters, adding that it is a natural progression. The remark of the cabinet minister has also triggered a fresh debate in the rank and file of the Assam BJP over the old and the new BJP, particulary the leaders who came from Congress party.
Mr Baruah also clarified, “80 per cent of the workers who came to the BJP after 2014.” Pointing out that individuals who joined the party eight years ago cannot be considered new members, he observed that a threshold of six months could be a boundary for classifying newcomers.
As the issue started snowballing into a controversy Assam BJP president Bhawesh Kalita on Sunday told reporters that there should be no comparison of the old and the new cadre in the party, delimitation of the constituency was done by the Election commission of India independently.
It is significant that Mr Gohain who also headed Assam BJP as president resigned from his responsibility in the state government over the issue of delimitation. In a letter to Assam chief minister on Friday he said that his discussions with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding the delimitation “did not bring any positive outcome”.
He pointed out that the recent delimitation process has rendered the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency "unwinnable for BJP candidates in the future and has also put the people of the constituency under threat due to demographic change".
“Despite having numerous rounds of discussions with you, I am afraid that my concerns and deep dissatisfaction on the way the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency has been constituted did not bring any change whatsoever," his letter to Mr Sarma read.
Mr Gohain said that he had also informed union home minister Amit Shah of his concerns and he was told to give his recommendations in writing.
“I did (that) the very next day but unfortunately it did not bring any positive outcome.... I feel betrayed and almost disrespected that a senior member like myself was not heard by his own party leaders out of genuine concern for the party's benefit,” his letter further read.
In his letter, Mr Gohain said that it is with great sadness that he has resigned with immediate effect as the chairman of the corporation which is a cabinet-rank post.
“I have been a very obedient soldier of the party for over 25 years and also represented the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat for four consecutive terms which is a span of 20 years and I think my experience on this matter should have been counted for and my concerns for the safety and identity of my people should be respected,” he said.
Later talking to reporters, Mr Gohain said that the recent delimitation regarding the assembly constituencies was correct and secure for the indigenous population, but the Nagaon parliamentary constituency has been "a gift" to opposition parties.
