The BJP’s Dibrugarh district unit left out the photograph of Sarbananda Sonowal from a party event banner, even though he was invited to the programme. Sonowal is a former Chief Minister of Assam, the current Union Minister, and the sitting MP from Dibrugarh.
The incident took place on January 5 in Dibrugarh, which is known as Sonowal’s political stronghold. The event, part of the BJP’s statewide wall-painting campaign ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, was meant to symbolize unity and grassroots mobilization under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s banner. Instead, it became a spectacle of exclusion.
Sonowal, a towering figure in Assam politics who rose from student activism to helm the state government in 2016, was reportedly invited as a key guest. Yet, his image was conspicuously absent from the promotional banner. 
Enter Kamaleswar Nath, whose social media post has gone viral, pulling no punches in calling out the district leadership. In a pointed message addressed to Dibrugarh District BJP President Dulal Bora, Nath wrote:
“Don’t forget to attach your own photo copy, Dibrugarh District BJP President Dulal Bora. Respected Sir, Did former Chief Minister and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal attend the meeting without an invitation? Or did the district office not have enough funds to print a banner with his photo on it? What is all this.. arrogance or foolishness? Who gave you the power to ignore a former Chief Minister like this? Can you answer that? By treating Sarbananda Sonowal, your own MP, in this manner , what are you trying to prove? Sarbananda Sonowal is not power-hungry; nor is he someone who craves respect. Even if you do not honour him, nothing will affect him. But people will clearly recognize a foolish district president like you. It won’t take long for the public to see through you. What should we assume from your mindset? Did you earn this post through your own capability, or by flattering someone? That is the real question rising in everyone’s mind. I am only warning so that such a cheap mentality does not arise again in the future.”
Bora, a relatively low-profile figure elevated to the district presidency, now stands accused of prioritizing self-promotion over party stalwarts. This isn’t just a printing error but a symptom of a deeper malaise: a culture where bootlicking trumps merit, and local satraps flex muscle at the expense of senior leaders.
In a state where the BJP rode to power on Sonowal’s anti-corruption and anti-infiltration credentials, sidelining him in his own constituency smacks of ingratitude or worse, deliberate sabotage.
When asked by Northeast Scoop, Dulal Bora offered a tepid defense: “Sarbananda Sonowal was invited to the event.”
Was it a budgetary blunder, as Nath sarcastically suggested, or a calculated snub to assert dominance? Is this the BJP trying to downplay Sonowal’s influence as elections loom, perhaps to make way for fresher faces or rival factions? Or was it just a mistake by the district president, who failed to properly organise the banner?
Sonowal, for his part, has maintained a dignified silence, true to his reputation as a non-confrontational leader. But the optics are disastrous for the BJP in Assam.
The party, which swept the 2021 Assembly polls under Himanta Biswa Sarma after Sonowal gracefully stepped aside, now faces whispers of internal discord. Dibrugarh, a key Upper Assam seat, has been Sonowal’s bastion since his Lok Sabha win in 2014. Alienating him here could ripple across the state, where ethnic sensitivities and leadership egos often dictate electoral fortunes.
With the 2026 polls on the horizon, this fiasco hands ammunition to opponents like the Congress and regional outfits, who can paint the BJP as a house divided against itself.
