Tarun Gogoi's "broad-understanding-but-no-alliance" approach is based on some careful political calculation as well as compulsion.
With the Grand Alliance's resounding victory on Sunday, the Congress might look for a repeat of the Bihar experiment in other states.
Tarun Gogoi, three-term Chief Minister of Assam, says there should be a broad alliance of all secular forces. "We are not talking about seat adjustments but there should be a broad based understanding of all secular forces," Mr Gogoi told NDTV.
Assam elections are barely five months away and the Congress will face its toughest polls ever since 2001, when the party came to power in the state.
Since then Mr Gogoi has been voted back in 2006 and 2011 consecutively. But now, anti-incumbency, dissidence and rebel leaders switching over to the BJP - all have added to the sense that the Congress' fortunes are sinking.
Mr Gogoi says parties like Badruddin Ajmal's All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Asom Gana Parishad, the Left should all work together. "I am not talking of any alliance but an understanding at this stage. We will fight alone and I will be leading the party," asserted Mr Gogoi.
Mr Gogoi's "broad-understanding-but-no-alliance" approach is based on some careful political calculation as well as compulsion.
A firm alliance between Mr Ajmal and the Congress could have a two-fold impact: one, it could see a polarisation between Hindus and Muslims and that would benefit the BJP; two, it could see the Congress transferring its Muslims support base to Mr Ajmal further.
But with the BJP winning seven of the 14 Lok Sabha seats last year, Mr Gogoi wants to put up a strong counter to the BJP. For the record, though, the Assam Chief Minister asserts that the BJP in Assam may fare worse than Bihar.
"See the big difference is that in Bihar, the BJP had a base and organisation but in Assam, they don't have it. Can any party win an election with imported leaders?" Mr Gogoi said.
The Congress with back to back wins in the past 15 years may have an edge over others when it comes to party organization, but it surely realises that the popular mood in Assam may be for change. And that's where the idea of a rainbow coalition may help to stop the surge in the BJP's popularity.