(MENAFN- IANS) Guwahati, Oct 9 (IANS) In a major political development in Assam, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister Rajen Gohain on Thursday formally resigned from the party, expressing deep discontent with its current leadership and functioning in the state.

Gohain, a four-time Lok Sabha MP from Nagaon and former Minister of State for Railways in the first Modi government, tendered his resignation at the BJP's state headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, in Guwahati.

Addressing reporters after submitting his resignation, Gohain said he had been“patient for a long time,” but could no longer align with the direction the BJP had taken in Assam.“We did not join this party to please people. We came here to follow the ideals of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani. But the party has now fallen into someone else's hands,” he remarked.

The veteran politician further asserted that“only a regional party can serve the true interests of Assam,” while hinting that he may soon announce his next political move.“BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary has emerged as the core of regional politics in Assam. I will take a decision soon,” he said.

Launching a scathing attack on the current state leadership, Gohain accused the BJP of turning into an“enemy of the Assamese people.” He added,“I am not a self-sacrificing person, nor do I have the means to amass wealth like the current state BJP president Dilip Saikia. The Chief Minister listens to no one and does whatever he wants.”

Gohain, who joined the BJP in 1991, represented the erstwhile Nowgong (now Nagaon) constituency for four consecutive terms from 1999 to 2014. In 2023, he had stepped down as chairman of the Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in protest against the delimitation of the Nagaon constituency, warning that the new boundaries would make it“unwinnable” for the BJP.

His exit marks one of the most significant defections in recent times for the party's Assam unit, exposing growing internal dissatisfaction and signalling potential realignments ahead of the forthcoming elections.

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