Overview
- Sarkar’s January 11 comments invoking a “Bor Assam” and referencing Sivasagar and Dhubri prompted protests and denunciations from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and regional groups.
- Senior Congress leaders Debabrata Saikia and Pradyut Bordoloi publicly disowned Sarkar’s remarks, and the backlash culminated in his January 14 resignation after a brief induction.
- Saikia rejected Sarkar’s charge that he acted as a “BJP agent,” asserting that social harmony in Assam requires respecting distinct regional identities.
- Sarma has escalated his criticism of Congress, warning of demographic pressures, faulting West Bengal for weak border enforcement, and saying he will disclose details of an Assam MP’s alleged “Pakistan contact” before month-end.
- APCC chief Gaurav Gogoi called Sarkar’s district comparisons inappropriate and urged caution in public statements as the BJP projects confidence ahead of elections with dates expected to be announced in February.