In a significant move, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has reappointed its national joint secretary, Bhaben Choudhury, as the acting state president of Assam, five months after replacing him from the post. The decision was unanimously taken by the party’s executive committee on March 1, citing the inactivity of the permanent president, Manoj Dhanowar, due to “personal reasons.”
Choudhury, who previously served as the chief of AAP Assam before Dhanowar took over in September 2023, wasted no time in criticizing the ruling BJP government. In his first statement after assuming office, he condemned the “rising political violence, suppression of democratic protests, and targeted defamation campaigns against opposition leaders and their families.”
Choudhury accused the BJP of systematically undermining democracy by silencing opposition voices. “No matter how much suppression they impose, the people of Assam will give them a befitting reply in 2026,” he asserted. He also highlighted the growing public discontent over issues like skyrocketing prices, communal remarks, environmental destruction due to deforestation, and recurring floods in the state.
“The BJP is intentionally creating chaos to instill fear among the masses ahead of the 2026 assembly elections,” Choudhury alleged. He further criticized the government’s inability to curb lawlessness, stating, “If a double-engine government with full control over the home department cannot prevent lawlessness, it only proves that the situation is being deliberately created for political gains.”
Choudhury also took aim at the Justice (retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission report on the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) scam, calling it a politically motivated document. He claimed the investigation ignored key testimonies and favored the accused, undermining the credibility of the judiciary.
The report, tabled in the Assam Assembly on February 17, scrutinized the role of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in appointing prime accused Rakesh Kumar Paul as APSC chairman. Choudhury also condemned the “targeted defamation” of opposition MPs and MLAs’ spouses while questioning the government’s silence on serious allegations like illegal coal mining in Umrangso and disproportionate assets of ruling party members.
“The entire administrative machinery is being misused for political vendetta,” Choudhury remarked, accusing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of dragging Assam’s politics to an “all-time low” and turning it into a battleground for personal enmity rather than governance.
With Choudhury back at the helm, AAP aims to strengthen its presence in Assam and challenge the BJP’s dominance in the upcoming elections.
