Guwahati, July 17: Just a day after the Congress launched a massive outreach drive through party workers’ meetings, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed a host of new members from diverse political and professional backgrounds at a grand joining ceremony held at the state party headquarters on Thursday.
Among the prominent new inductees were Manoj Rabha (alias Dristi Rajkhowa, a top ULFA leader), former Assam AAP president Manoj Dhanowar, former All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union president Arjun Chetri, Pradesh Congress vice president Madhurjya Goswami, Raijor Dal state general secretary Nirmal Payeng, prominent advocate Manas Sharania, and former Nagaon District Congress president Prashanta Saikia. Several other individuals from social, political, academic, and cultural fields also joined the BJP.
Welcoming the new members, BJP leader Dilip Saikia said, “I am BJP. Whether I block the party or the party blocks me, this remains my identity.”
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Saikia added, “Arjun Chetri has joined today as he sees where the real opportunity lies. Nirmal Payeng, who once aligned with Akhil Gogoi, found it difficult to work with him and chose BJP for a better future.”
He also praised Dhanowar’s contributions in Tinsukia, where he runs a residential school with over 2,000 students.
