Aamsu ex-chief quits Cong 3 days after joining party

Guwahati: Former All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (Aamsu) president Rejaul Karim Sarkar, who joined Congress on Jan 11, has resigned from the party, citing discomfort with the state leadership.

This comes days after he triggered a controversy by claiming that the historic Sivasagar (the erstwhile seat of the Ahom kingdom) would soon resemble Dhubri — a Bangladesh-origin Muslim–majority district — soon after his joining Congress.


Sarkar faced intense criticism and protests from within Congress over his controversial remarks, leaving him feeling alienated within the party. He tender his resignation letter on Wednesday.

In a letter to Congress’s state president Gaurav Gogoi, Sarkar accused senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly Debabrata Saikia and MP Pradyut Bordoloi of behaving like BJP agents.

In his resignation letter, Sarkar said he joined Congress because of its stated commitment to secularism, inclusive politics, and constitutional values. He wrote that remarks made by senior party leaders had left him deeply distressed.

Sarkar added that he felt increasingly alienated within the party and received no support from senior leaders when the controversy over his comments erupted. He said remaining in Congress would force him to compromise his conscience, political principles, and personal dignity.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Debabrata Saikia and Raijor Dal chief and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi were among those who criticised the remarks.

The CM called them insensitive in the context of Assam’s demographic and identity-related tensions. On Wednesday he also said Gaurav Gogoi should have dismissed Sarkar for insulting the Assamese people.