"I Can't Go Anymore With Beef Pork Politics": Former BJP MLA Binanda Saikia

Former MLA from Assam’s Sipajhar, Binanda Saikia, has resigned from the BJP on Tuesday (Sept 3). Saikia, who was once considered a close aide of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced his decision during a press conference on Wednesday.

Saikia said that although he had been with the BJP for the past four years, he did not gain anything from the party despite regularly attending meetings of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. 

“While the BJP calls itself nationalist, it has failed to carry out any nationalist work, “he said, accusing the party of destroying harmony of Assam.

Criticising the party further, he claimed that the BJP, which had once raised the slogan “Neither we will take bribes nor allow others to take,” has itself been involved in corruption, including misappropriation of funds under the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme. 

He also accused the party of playing dangerous games with religion, saying that incidents such as throwing pork and beef to create communal tensions reflect the BJP’s true nature. “I can no longer work with such a party.”

Reports suggest that the resignation of the former MLA from primary membership of the BJP has sparked a fresh wave of political turbulence in the region.

People in his constituency want him to contest in the 2026 elections. But, as he has now left the BJP, he is engaging with different sections of society, including students, farmers, and others, to decide whether he will contest in the elections independently or under a party banner.

Meanwhile, earlier, Binanda Saikia, who had previously left Congress to join the BJP, has now decided to return to Congress. In the 2021 Legislative Assembly elections, he was denied a BJP ticket to contest, prompting his decision to switch back to Congress.