Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Rajen Gohain formally joined the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Tuesday, a move that has sent shockwaves across the state’s political scene. In his first major address after joining the regional party, Gohain launched a scathing attack on his former party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of running Assam under a “police-run state” model and adopting a “Hitler-like, authoritarian rule.”
Gohain, who served multiple terms as a Lok Sabha MP from Nagaon, said that under BJP rule, Assam had lost its voice and autonomy. “I have seen the rule of many national parties. But now it feels as if our state has been handed over to Delhi,” he said. He criticized the BJP for weakening Assam’s social fabric and called it “the biggest enemy” of the people.
He accused the current government of using the administrative machinery for its own interests and allowing outsiders to take control of the state’s land and resources. “Assam’s fields and markets must remain in local hands. This is what Zubeen Garg had said, and we will follow that principle. No community can progress by abandoning its own fields,” Gohain said, invoking the late singer’s ideals. 
Gohain also took aim at the BJP’s treatment of its own workers, saying the party had “shamed long-standing members” and urging those with self-respect to join regional forces like the AJP and AGP. While he expressed differences with the Congress, he said he respected the “good people” in the party and left open the possibility of alliances when necessary.
He further criticized the party’s move to appoint his son, Nabarun Gohain, to a post, calling it an attempt to control him. He urged his son to take an independent stand. Gohain also expressed disappointment over Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s handling of protests led by Zubeen Garg against tree-felling, stating that the singer was “driven to the brink because of those around him.”
Speaking about the wider political landscape, Gohain said that while he had his own views, he would continue to speak freely against authoritarian policies and work for Assam’s interests. His joining the AJP is seen as a major blow to BJP in the state, signaling growing discontent among senior leaders with the party’s governance style.
