INDIAN OBSERVER POST EXCLUSIVE: 

BJP MP RP Sarma May Ride New Horse in the 2019 Elections

By Monalisa Gogoi, Bureau Chief, Assam, Indian Observer Post

Guwahati, March 10, 2019: Senior BJP leader and present MP from Tezpur parliamentary constituency Ram Prasad Sarma may resign from BJP shortly and likely to ride a new political horse in the upcoming 2019 parliamentary elections. 

This is important to mention here that party has planned to declare the candidature of present health and Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from Tezpur parliamentary constituency, according to the sources in the party.

Sarma, sitting MP, a senior BJP leader and also a member of RSS since 1969, says 'Now in Assam BJP is only fully dependent of Himanta Biswa Sarma. There is no party decision. It’s like one man army now. Like Congress, Himanta will damage BJP.”

In an Exclusive Interview with Indian Observer Post, Sarma said, “I have been engaging myself at all kind of developmental activities of every nook and corner of my constituency. There is no place which i had not visited in my tenure. I knew it before when I was in hospital for kidney transplantation that a conspiracy has been continuing against me.”

“If I have not given party tickets I will join Congress. My people are with me and I believe in my hard work,” said Sarma while talking to Indian Observer Post over phone.  

"Party is not a matter but my first duty and concern, I have to serve my people," he added.

While RP Sarma was in Delhi on Sunday, Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is busy at Tezpur constituency for the party meeting.

R.P. Sarma's declaration of his resignation from the party might create a negative impact on the party.

As a senior leader, he has close connects with the senior grassroots level worker.

A conflict has been going on between old members and the new members of BJP who had joined before last assembly election.

RP Sarma, the party’s Lok Sabha member from Tezpur had leveled allegations of corruption against some of its ministers in the Assam’s ruling BJP Government.

In a sting operation done by a local television channel, the MP was seen accusing Assam Irrigation minister Ranjit Dutta of taking bribes for allocating department works. He also levelled corruption charges against some other ministers. Dutta had denied the allegations.

“Several ministers are taking a 10% commission for various work. Taking kickbacks is denting the image of the party. I stand by what I said,” sarma had then said.

The leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah has shown zero tolerance to corruption, he said. “Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal is a clean man. I have faith in them. Nobody has the right to dent the image of the party which party workers have painstakingly built over several years.”

Sharma said he wanted the chief minister to probe the allegations.

R.P Sarma’s daughter was arrested in APSC's cash for job scam, however, Sarma alleges of political conspiracy against him. Assam police which is probing the cash for job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) had summoned 19 officials including Pallavi Sharma, daughter of R.P Sharma BJP MP from Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency.

Pallavi was asked to appear for handwriting tests. Sarma said, “This is conspiracy against me ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to malign my image. However, I will expose them soon.”

The internal feud of BJP in Assam came out in public two years ago, when R.P Sarma posted in the social networking site Facebook alleging ill-treatment of grass root worker by top party leader creating uproar in the party. There is simmering anger in the party over entry of the congress leaders. At several places, grassroots are miffed over the entry of large number of congress workers.

Parliamentarian Sarma in his Facebook post had then stated, "We must learn to respect and love our grass root party workers. They should not be treated like servants and must remember they are not our paid employees either. We must recognize their sacrifice since 1980, when BJP was first born. But it is really, really painful and heart breaking when our party workers are treated like slaves by at least one of our top state leaders."

"Yuba Morcha president, in front of all district presidents' and secretaries was not only insulted but very degrading works like "stupid, nonsense" were used. One district president of BJP was kept standing for 15 minutes and not allowed to sit. This is really painful and obnoxious," he had added.

State unit president of BJP Siddhartha Bhattacharya had then replied, "Mr Sarma, I generally don't respond to your sermons but I think today you have crossed the Lakshman rekha. Have you forgotten the saying" practice what you preach". I still remember how you behaved to the applicants for Tezpur municipal elections not to talk about what had happened when you had opened your mouth during the last parliamentary election."

RP Sarma Brief Profile

R P Sharma, MP from Tezpur, Assam was born in 1955 in Kathanibari of Sonitpur district of Assam. Though he was born in a rich family, he left home at the age of 12 years due to minor quarrel with his father. He worked as a coolie, collected stones and did many petty jobs to sustain him and to get his education from Shillong and Garo Hills.

Ram Prasad Sarma joined congress party in 1974 on the insistence of PA Sangma and the CM of Meghalaya but soon left it. He joined RSS in 1978 and BJP in 1991. At that time BJP did not have much base in Assam. He contested his first election in 1999 from Tezpur but could win it only in 2014.

He is married to Ganga Nath and has a daughter who is a lawyer in Guwahati High court. RP himself is a senior lawyer in Guwahati High Court.

Image - RP Sarma RP Sarma rides a horse to parliament - Bir Bahadur, DNA