Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi today reacted to allegations made by former AAMSU president Rejaul Karim Sarkar against Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, making it clear that the Congress does not support such statements. Gogoi said the remarks branding Saikia as a “BJP agent” were unacceptable and went against the party’s values and discipline.
Gogoi said that Debabrata Saikia himself had earlier mentioned that many people had told him such things and had even taken Rejaul Karim’s name. However, Gogoi stressed that merely repeating such claims does not make them true. “Labelling a senior leader like Debabrata Saikia as a BJP agent is wrong. We do not agree with this kind of language,” he said.
Referring to Rejaul Karim’s earlier political statements, Gogoi said the comments made on the first day about “Sivasagar to Dhubri” were also not acceptable to the party. He said Assam has a sensitive social and political fabric, and careless remarks can create confusion and division among people. 
Gogoi further said that after those developments, Rejaul Karim chose a different political path, listened to his own conscience and left the Congress. “That is his personal decision,” Gogoi said, adding that while people may come and go, the Congress works as a united team against the BJP government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma. He said the BJP’s politics over the last 20 years has harmed society, and the Congress remains firmly opposed to it.
Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia strongly rejected the allegations made by Rejaul Karim after quitting the Congress. Saikia described the remarks as baseless and controversial, saying they had no connection with facts or his long public life in politics.
Reacting to being called a BJP agent, Saikia said he did not know whether to laugh or cry at such an allegation. He said his political stand has always been clear and consistent, and he has remained with the Indian National Congress for decades despite being out of power for nearly 15 years.
Saikia also dismissed Rejaul Karim’s comments related to Dhubri and Sivasagar, saying both places have their own history, culture and identity. He said being Assamese and being Indian are not contradictory ideas, and one does not weaken the other. Recalling the legacy of his father, former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, Saikia said his commitment to Assam and its people is well known and unchanged.
