"I joined NSUI in 1997, then became Youth Cong President, then became MLA from Cong party, but unfortunately weve been sidelined," suspended MLA Pijush Hazarika said.
In a stern message to the rebels, the Congress in Assam suspended four MLAs who took part in a roadshow of former party leader Himant Biswa Sarma.
The four suspended Congress legislators are Jayanta Malla Barua, Pijush Hazarika, Pallab Lochan Das and Pradan Barua, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman Apurba Bhattacharjee said.
Last Friday, Mr Sarma took out a massive roadshow where many of his supporters came out in open to show their solidarity for the leader. Many from Youth Congress and NSUI, Congress' student wing, were present during the roadshow.
"Himanta is the face of Assam's youth. There was a time when Assamese youth were willing to join the Youth Congress and the NSUI and he took the leadership," said Mriganka Barman, head of the BJP's Youth Wing in the state.
The BJP is now focusing on targeting the youth to propel the party to power in next year's Assembly polls, a strategy that has often worked for parties in the past.
Student movements have dominated Assam's politics since 1979 and have often decided who forms the government. In 1985, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, until then a student leader of the All Assam Students Union or AASU, became the country's youngest chief minister.
The Congress made a comeback in the early 90s by roping in student leaders like Sarma and creating a parallel student leadership to the powerful AASU.
Even the BJP became a force only when former student leader and now the Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal took over the reins of the party.
In a state where student politics have overthrown powerful regimes in the past, it's almost certain that youth power would play an important part in next year's assembly polls.
Perhaps the reason why the Congress, facing a 15 year anti-incumbency, says they originally promoted youth leadership. Bhibuti Barthakur, a former president of the Congress student wing, said: "It is the policy of the Congress to promote young leaders and Himanta shouldn't take credit for it."