In a serious charge that exposes deep cracks within the Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, former senior grassroots worker Jiban Chutia has alleged that he was forced to quit the party after facing years of public humiliation, intimidation, and political isolation by Sarupathar MLA Biswajit Phukan.
Speaking to Northeast Scoop, Chutia said his resignation was not sudden, nor emotional, but the result of long and sustained harassment that made it impossible for him to function within the party despite nearly two decades of service.
“This is not politics. This is cruelty,” Chutia said, speaking in plain and direct words. “I joined the BJP in 2008. From that day till now, I worked honestly, religiously, without asking for anything. But I was not even allowed to work for the people.” 
Chutia alleged that the Sarupathar MLA openly threatened people in public meetings, warning them not to speak to him, not to support him, and not to maintain any personal or political relationship with him. According to Chutia, these warnings were not made quietly or indirectly, but openly, from public platforms.
“He tells people directly if you are seen with Jiban Chutia, you will face consequences,” Chutia alleged. “This is how he controls everything.”
The former BJP member further claimed that during panchayat elections, party workers were clearly instructed that anyone linked with him would be denied tickets and organisational support. “Even workers who had no personal fault were punished just for knowing me,” he said.
What makes the allegation more serious is Chutia’s claim that the targeting went beyond party politics and entered social and community spaces. He alleged that even within the Chutia community, BJP members were told by the MLA not to engage with him in any manner.
“I was blocked everywhere; socially, politically, and within my own community,” he said. “It was like being erased while still being alive.”
Chutia also claimed that the alleged hostility extended to government and non-government programmes alike. According to him, organisers were instructed not to invite him or anyone connected to him to public events. “And if by chance we were invited, the MLA himself would not attend. That is how deep his opposition to me was,” he said.
In one of the most striking claims, Chutia alleged that the MLA even attempted to prevent him from meeting senior leaders, including cabinet minister Atul Bora. “He once told the minister not to meet me or keep any relationship with me,” Chutia alleged. “What gives him the right to decide who can meet whom?”
Chutia said he was repeatedly blocked from party responsibilities and excluded from organisational work, making it impossible for him to serve either the party or the people. “Any political work needs teamwork,” he said. “But if one man decides you are not part of the team and blocks you from everywhere, how can you continue?”
Using unusually sharp words, Chutia described the MLA as a “khalnayak” rather than a leader. “He is not a nayak. He is a khalnayak,” he said. “This kind of cheap politics destroys workers and damages the party from inside.”
Chutia said his resignation was the only option left after years of silence. “I kept quiet for a long time. I tolerated everything for the sake of the party. But there is a limit,” he said. “I was barred, sidelined, and humiliated despite my loyalty.”
On January 12, 2026, Chutia formally resigned from the BJP’s primary and active membership with immediate effect. In his resignation letter addressed to the Assam BJP state president, he requested to be relieved of all party responsibilities.
The resignation has come at a sensitive time for the BJP in Assam, which has already witnessed several high-profile exits in recent months. Political observers say such departures point to growing dissatisfaction among grassroots workers who feel ignored and marginalised.
One of the biggest setbacks for the party came in October 2025, when senior leader and former Union Minister Rajen Gohain resigned along with 17 others. Gohain, a four-time MP from Nagaon and a former Assam BJP president, had cited deep organisational problems and the sidelining of experienced leaders.
Gohain had accused the party of drifting away from its core principles and failing to protect indigenous Assamese interests, particularly after the 2023 delimitation exercise. He had warned that disconnecting from grassroots workers would weaken the party’s foundation.
Chutia’s allegations now echo those concerns, but from the ground level. Unlike senior leaders who command public attention, Chutia represents the ordinary party worker — the kind who campaigns on foot, mobilises voters, and keeps the organisation alive at the local level.
Political analysts say that when such workers are publicly threatened, socially isolated, and organisationally blocked, it sends a damaging message to the cadre base. “Parties don’t collapse from opposition attacks,” a senior observer said. “They collapse when their own workers lose faith.”
So far, there has been no official response from the BJP leadership or from the Sarupathar MLA to the allegations made by Chutia. However, the claims have triggered quiet discussions within political circles in Upper Assam, especially as the state moves closer to the 2026 Assembly elections.
For Chutia, the decision to leave was painful but unavoidable. “I did not leave because I wanted power or position,” he said. “I left because I was not even allowed to exist.”
