Loyalty is a legacy protocol. In the high-stakes server room of Assamese politics, Himanta Biswa Sarma just initiated another forced update, and the results are as predictable as they are bleak.

The rumor mill didn't just churn; it overheated. Assam Chief Minister Sarma, a man who treats political opposition like a bug to be patched out of existence, recently dropped the kind of bombshell that makes the "grand old party" look more like a flickering neon sign in a ghost town. The target? Bhupen Borah. The current president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee. The guy supposedly holding the fort.

Sarma’s claim is simple, delivered with the smug casualness of a CEO announcing a hostile takeover. He says Borah is ready to jump ship. Not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. It’s the political equivalent of a "Coming Soon" teaser for a movie everyone already knows the ending to.

Let’s be real. In the current climate, being a Congress leader in Assam is like trying to run Crysis on a Pentium II. The hardware just can't handle the load. Borah has been the face of the resistance, or at least the face of the guys who haven't left yet. But Sarma, who mastered the art of the jump back in 2015, knows exactly which wires to pull. He’s not just predicting a defection; he’s narrating a script he likely helped write.

The friction here isn't about ideology. Nobody talks about ideology over these expensive dinner tables. It's about the "clout tax." If you stay in the opposition, your access to the levers of power stays throttled. Your influence is capped. You’re playing in a sandbox while the BJP is building a skyscraper. For Borah, the trade-off is glaring. Stay and lead a dwindling flock toward a 2026 cliff, or join the juggernaut and keep your air conditioning. It’s a cynical calculation, but politics in the Brahmaputra valley isn't known for its romanticism.

Sarma’s rhetoric is a masterclass in psychological warfare. By publicly stating that Borah will join the BJP, he’s already poisoned the well. Even if Borah stays, his credibility is shot. His own foot soldiers will be looking at him, wondering if his suitcase is already packed. It’s a classic de-platforming move. If you can’t beat the leader, make him radioactive to his own base.

The Congress, meanwhile, looks less like a political party and more like a talent incubator for the BJP. They do the hard work of building a name, and Sarma swoops in for the acquisition when the valuation hits a certain point. It’s efficient. It’s brutal. It’s incredibly boring to watch if you actually care about the health of a multi-party democracy.

What’s the price tag for a move like this? It’s usually measured in cabinet berths, protected interests, and the sudden, miraculous disappearance of "legal complications." Borah has been loud. He’s been defiant. He’s even filed lawsuits. But Sarma knows that everyone has a breaking point, or at least a price point. The CM’s confidence suggests he’s seen the invoice.

Don’t expect a sudden shift in policy if this happens. The "Blue vs. Saffron" debate is mostly for the cameras. Behind the scenes, it’s about the management of resources. It’s about who gets to sign the checks for the massive infrastructure projects tearing through the hills. If Borah flips, the BJP doesn't get a new vision; they get a neutralized threat and a few thousand more votes in key pockets.

There’s a certain grit to the way Sarma operates. He doesn't hide the machinery. He invites you to watch the gears grind. He’s telling the public that the opposition is a facade, a temporary holding pen for future BJP members. It’s a grim realization for the average voter who thought they were choosing between two different paths. In reality, they're just choosing different drivers for the same bus.

The fallout will be messy. A few press conferences. Some angry tweets. Maybe a symbolic burning of an effigy. Then, the inevitable. The photo op with the saffron scarf. The handshake. The quote about "serving the people better from within the ruling fold." We’ve seen this rerun so many times the tape is starting to hiss.

Congress is running out of patches. Their code is spaghetti, and their lead developers are all interviewing at the rival firm. Borah might deny it today. He might scream from the rooftops that he’s a loyalist. But Sarma is smiling, and in this version of the game, the house always wins.

If the captain of the ship is eyeing the lifeboats, what does that say about the ship?

Actually, don’t answer that. We already know. The real question is whether there will be anyone left to turn off the lights when the last Congress leader finally clears out their desk.