Cong has to be decisive in resolving leadership issue in Assam before state polls: Congress MP

Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi has said the party has to be decisive in resolving the leadership issue in Assam before the 2021 assembly election as "last minute patch-work" will not work.

Bordoloi's comments came after he was purportedly caught on camera telling in-charge of the party affairs in Assam, Harish Rawat, that the "AICC is notorious for indecisiveness". Their conversation was picked up by mics of television channels before a press meet in Guwahati.

According to sources, Bordoloi, the Lok Sabha MP from Nawgong, told the party that a "proper plan" has to be put in place for the Congress to fight the ruling BJP in the state.

"You have to take a decision now. You have to make a prospective plan. Last minute patch-work would not be good for the party. You have to resolve the leadership issue now," he told PTI.

Bordoloi said the Congress stood a good chance of ousting the BJP from Assam but has to put its own house in order before that for fighting them in the assembly elections.

"The Congress has all the potential. We can form a government. But before that we should take a decisive action and not be indecisive. We can defeat the BJP," he said.

"The AICC is notorious for indecisiveness" and should act fast if it wants to contest the 2021 elections seriously, the Congress leader told AICC general secretary Rawat a few days ago.

The development comes when the party high command is working on a leadership change in Assam. Bordoloi is also throwing his hat in the fray and so is former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who has claimed that he can lead the path well in the 2021 assembly polls.

The video of Bordoloi's purported remarks was doing the rounds a day after 12 party MLAs wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, demanding that Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Debabrata Saikia be replaced.

Bordoloi is purportedly heard telling Rawat in the video, "The countdown has startedIf the Congress wants to seriously take up 2021 electionsbecause AICC is notorious for indecisiveness. They don't take decisions at all. That should not happen."