Guwahati: A day after Assam BJP submitted the panel of probable candidates to the parliamentary boards of the party, sitting BJP MP from Tezpur in Assam Ram Prasad Sharma here on Saturday announced his resignation from the primary membership of the party while asserting that he would continue to be in politics.
This has come close on the heels BJP’s decision to nominate party heavyweight and Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Tezpur.
Visibly upset over the denial of the party ticket, Mr Sarma said that he has decided to resign from the primary membership of the BJP after serving the RSS and VHP for 15 years and the BJP for 29 years.
In an obvious reference to Assam finance minister, the MP said, “I have left BJP today. But I really feel pained in my heart for those old BJP workers of Assam who were most neglected in the Party by the new intruders in the party. I was strongly raising my voice on their behalf. Now there will be none to raise voice for them.”
Mr Sarma who is alleged to have been hobnobbing with the Congress party for ticket came down heavily on new-comers in the BJP. He said, “It’s old guards of the party who, toiling for decades, brought BJP to power without any other support. But now they are most neglected and ill treated.” Mr Sarmahgot elected to the parliament in 2014 from Tezpur Lok Sabha seat.
Mr Sarmah’s name was not included in the party’s panel of probable candidate for Tezpur Lok Sabha seat. The party has forwarded only one name of Mr Himanta Biswa Sarma in the list of probable candidates.
The BJP parliamentary board which is schedule to meet on Saturday in New Delhi is expected to announce the names of candidates for the 14 Lok Sabha seats.
“I felt greatly insulted when my name, a sitting MP and the President of Assam Gorkha Sammelan, did not find place in panel sent up by the state BJP committee,” Mr Sarmah stated in another post on the social media. He, however, said that he would continue to serve the people of Assam and his constituency “till the end of his life”.
Mr Sharma, who belongs to the Gorkha community, was elected to the Lok Sabha the first time in 2014 from the Tezpur Parliamentary constituency, which has a sizeable Gorkha population. His candidature was at stake since his daughter’s arrest in connection with the job-for-cash scam. Mr Sarma who himself is an advocate by profession had also resented the arrest of his daughter while accusing his own party leaders of hatching conspiracy against him.
