00:00And joining me now is one of our newsmakers of the day, Pradyud Bordoloy, two-time Lok Sabha member, also
00:07a four-time Assam MLA, three-term cabinet minister, now has switched though from the Congress to the BJP.
00:14Pradyud Bordoloy, you've created quite a stir by doing that and suddenly doing that on the eve of the election.
00:21All these years you were very comfortable in the Congress. What has suddenly changed for you to say you've been
00:26humiliated and chosen to join the BJP?
00:29Well, actually, it seems that I have taken an overnight decision. It's not really. I have been associated with this
00:40Congress Party for a very long, long time.
00:43I joined Congress Party when I was barely 16 years old and joined NSCY. And I must say that whatever
00:52I am today is because of the Congress Party.
00:55The Congress Party had given me a lot of opportunities to grow and I always take pride.
01:01And yet you're saying all that and yet what do you go and do? You betray that same party on
01:06the eve of the election and joined the BJP?
01:08No, no. What I'm trying to say is Congress. One always blames about being a party full of diners. But
01:18I took pride in the matter that I have been the first generation politician.
01:24You know, I grew and then I grew with the Congress Party. But of late, I was feeling suffocated. I
01:34was feeling isolated.
01:36And then there were a series of, you know, actions or activities that made me feel as if I am
01:45unwanted in a party.
01:47No, tell us more specifically. Is your problem with Gaurav Gogoi? With the new generation of the Congress, did you
01:53feel isolated in this new generation?
01:55I want a direct answer. Well, maybe Gaurav, after Gaurav's coming, Gaurav probably doesn't have the culture of camaraderie.
02:08You know, there has been there. I found that I may be wrong, but I found that there was a
02:13trust deficit among, you know, a few of us that still remain in the party.
02:20And then somehow the decisions were being made on our back as if we were unwanted. That feeling was quite
02:28palpable for quite some time.
02:30No, but is the answer to that to join the BJP? You see, I'm going through your tweets in Parliament.
02:37You would take on this same BJP government.
02:39You would raise all kinds of questions on 10-2-2026. Shame on you, HBS. That's Hemantabhiswa Sarban.
02:49Never before we saw such fanatical reinvention of a politician who has single-handedly damaged and ruptured the legendary social
02:55fabric of Assam.
02:56You said that on 10th of February. What have you done today? You've joined hands with Hemantabhiswa Sarban.
03:02I mean, Pratibh, is this opportunism of the worst kind?
03:05No, no. Let me answer this.
03:07Please.
03:07See, Hemantabhiswa Sarban had been a colleague. He was in the Congress party much before we formed the government in
03:152001.
03:16But we were working together in the most turbulent days of Assam, when Assam was conflict-ridden.
03:23And then both Hemantabhiswa and I worked, you know, shoulder to shoulder.
03:27And then when we formed the government in 2001, I was given home.
03:32And it was, you know, when Tarun Gogoji was the chief minister, I was inducted in the ministry.
03:38Hemantabhiswa Sarban joined me later in the cabinet.
03:40But we were working together. And then, you know, I can tell you, the Hemantabhiswa Sarban has obviously gone far
03:49ahead of us.
03:50Sir, sir, you have said, shame on you, HBS. This was, of course, when the video came out of him
03:59targeting seemingly a Muslim man.
04:02No, I can tell you something. The sword has two edges. I know that Hemantabhiswa's, you know, the stamina and
04:12then his creativity, his, you know, he can really work wonders.
04:18But if it is channelized to, in a wrong direction, obviously, as a friend, as a well-wisher, I could
04:25always point it out.
04:26Because the Assam's social fabric has to be maintained. And I call it Okhomiato.
04:31So, Okhomiato has to be maintained. And then, obviously, I have criticized Hemantabhiswa many times before.
04:37Just one month ago, you seemingly thought that he was destroying legendary social fabric of Assam.
04:42Now, you're saying you all can bring it together. Naturally, people will think that you're being opportunistic. You want power.
04:47You think the Congress won't win. That's why you're going with the BJP.
04:51Don't you think, even if you are on the other side, don't you think, as a friend, you cannot criticize,
04:56can't you point it out that what has been our, actually, social fabric, that we have to maintain.
05:02And we cannot allow, you know, to dissect the social fabric, to rupture the social fabric. And then, if that
05:10happens, it will be most unfortunate thing.
05:13So, this is what our Okhomiato. So, I have discussed all these in detail with Honorable Chief Minister of Assam.
05:20And then, probably, I can always, you know, work together. Because we worked together earlier.
05:27You know, I want to ask you in conclusion, you're not the only congressman who's left. There are others also,
05:31Bhupen Bora, among others who've left in the last few weeks.
05:35What is your, what does this say about the state of the Congress? And what is your message in particular
05:39to Rahul Gandhi, the de facto leader of your party?
05:43Could he have resolved this? Could he have resolved? What would you tell the Congress leadership as someone, as you
05:49said at the outset, who spent a lifetime in that party?
05:52Rahul Gandhi, I always say things very candidly. Everybody knows about it. See, I am, I can tell you, Congress,
06:02as I told you, I have told this as much in the BJP headquarters today, when I met the BJP
06:08stalwarts, that I have grown with the Congress party.
06:12But, but, but, of late, I was feeling that Ajif, you know, the kind of, you know, warmth, the kind
06:22of treatment, affection that you get from a mother figure like Sonia Ji, someone that was missing.
06:30And then, can you believe it? I, of course, I have some other regions. I was trying to contact the
06:37Congress, High Command. I was trying to meet Benugupalji, not once, but several times.
06:43And imagine, he is, he is my colleague in the parliament. He is also a member of parliament. I also,
06:51on, and last week, as many as 20 times, I sent him messages. I wanted to meet him. Obviously, he
06:57is a very busy person.
06:58But at least, if we don't get to meet somebody to, to discuss, to sort, sort out things internally, where
07:08do you go?
07:08So, did you try, did you try and meet Rahul Gandhi at all, before you took this big decision?
07:14I didn't try to meet him, because I thought that it is not necessary for me to meet Rahul Ji.
07:20In conclusion, Narendra Modi Ji, now your leader, are you completely comfortable with the ideology of the BJP?
07:28See, it has been a very difficult decision on my part. I know I cannot be a revisionist overnight.
07:37But, yes, I may, I have to work, I have to see, and whatever, because I'm more concerned about the
07:45state of affairs in my state, my region.
07:49And I have always been working for the advancement of the state of Assam, because we want to take Assam
07:56in the path of progress.
07:57And we will continue to do this. And I'm sure, with the stamina of the Assam states, chief minister, and
08:04then he's got a vision.
08:05So, we can work together, we can work wonders.
08:08Okay, I'm going to leave it there. As I said, only a month ago, you seem to suggest that he
08:12was a fanatical reinvention of a politician who had destroyed the legendary social fabric.
08:17Now, you will be working together. We will see how that goes, Pradyut Bordoloy.
08:21But for taking, taking...
08:22In private, if I find any, you know, deviation or any aberration, I can still do that in private, obviously.
08:31I leave it there. Pradyut Bordoloy for joining me. Thank you very much.
08:35Thank you, Lazdi. Thank you. Good day.
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