The architect of the saffron surge in North-East India, Himanta Biswa Sarma, in an interview with Bloomberg Quint has stated that in hindsight he feels he has wasted 23 years of his life in the Congress Party.

Former Congress leader and current Assam Finance Minister @himantabiswa is the BJP’s secret weapon in the North East. @TamannaInamdarhttps://t.co/jvtBhyaSfgpic.twitter.com/2h46IvoCXK — BloombergQuint (@BloombergQuint) March 7, 2018

In the interview, Sarma rubbished the Congress’s allegations of power grabbing by the BJP. He stated that Conrad Sangma’s party, NPP, secured 19 seats on its won in the recently conducted Meghalaya elections, just one less than the Congress and the BJP was only supporting his claim of forming the government. He further stated that it took him only 10 minutes to secure the alliance.

Himanta Biswa Sarma further stated that even during his time at the Congress, the state unit differed distinctly from the national organization of the party. He stated that the state unit constantly countered the “Muslim communal agenda” of Badruddin Ajmal.

Sarma also elaborated on the feudal mentality of the Nehru-Gandhi family. He vehemently asserted that the family believes in a master-servant relationship and behave as if they have descended from a different planet. He also advised the Congress party to look beyond the family if they are to survive complete political decimation at the hands of the BJP.

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The former Congress member also highlighted the cultural differences between the two parties. According to him, the then President and Vice-President of the Congress Party always maintained a certain distance from the rest of the party workers. He stated that the leaders of the BJP are much more rooted in Indian culture than their Congress counterparts. He mentions how every party worker is heartily welcome at BJP President Amit Shah’s residence starkly in contrast with Sonia Gandhi of the Congress. He speaks of how everyone is welcome to dine and spend time at Amit Shah’s residence while workers of the Congress are not allowed at the Nehru-Gandhi family’s official residence beyond a certain point.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s fortunes have in the North East have turned 180 degrees ever since Himanta Biswa Sarma has joined the party. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who asserts he left Congress due to the complete lack of internal democracy in the party, has spearheaded the BJP’s rise in the North Eastern region of the country where the North Eastern Democratic Alliance headed by the BJP currently rules in 7 out of the 8 North-Eastern states.