Latest news with #AssamCongress
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Gaurav Gogoi slams Assam government's arms license policy near border areas
Assam Congress President and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday came down heavily on the Assam Government's recent decision to grant arms licenses to civilians residing in border and remote termed the policy "highly condemnable" and accused the ruling BJP government of promoting a strategy that prioritises weapons over the essential needs of the to the media, Gogoi said, "People of Assam want water, employment, education, and medical facilities, not guns." He argued that the controversial move, instead of protecting citizens, may lead to an increase in fake encounters, citing recent Supreme Court criticism over alleged police excesses in Gogoi warned that such a policy could be misused to arm workers aligned with the BJP and RSS, potentially endangering innocent businessmen and shopkeepers in the region.'Under the new policy, more fake encounetrs can take place. The honest shopkeepers there, the businessmen there will face difficulties in the days to come. All these guns will go to BJP and RSS workers. The current government has made a highly condemnable policy. They should roll-back the policy," said criticism follows a May 29 Cabinet decision under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to approve a Special Scheme for Grant of Arms initiative targets original inhabitants and indigenous Indian citizens in vulnerable and border areas, with the stated goal of enhancing personal security and deterring unlawful the decision, CM Sarma claimed the policy would empower communities to safeguard themselves in high-risk zones. The policy was approved during a cabinet meeting held at the Lok Sewa Bhawan in the same meeting, the Assam cabinet sanctioned a 250 crore proposal to transform 34 polytechnics and 43 government ITIs into Centres of Excellence in partnership with Tata Technologies, aiming to bolster skill development and the Assam Cabinet approved the renaming of several key state institutions to honour the legacy of the state's distinguished personalities. The Sarusajai Sports Complex will now be known as the Arjun Bhogeswar Baruah Sports Complex, while Mangaldoi Stadium has been renamed Raja Dharma Narayan the State Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development will henceforth be called the Golap Borbora State Institute of Panchayat and Rural Watch IN THIS STORY#Assam
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Gaurav Gogoi slams Himanta Biswa Sarma govt's decision on arms licences in Assam– 'dangerous step towards lawlessness'
Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi has condemned the Bhratiya Janata Party government's decision to give arms licences to indigenous people in the state. Gogoi said the move is a "dangerous step" backwards towards "lawlessness and jungle raj". Gogoi said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma must reverse the decision immediately and focus on restoring public trust through responsible leadership. Chief Minister Sarma said on May 28 that the Assam government will give arms licences to indigenous people living in "vulnerable and remote" areas for instilling a sense of security in them. "I strongly condemn Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's decision to distribute arms to civilians in border regions of the state," Gogoi, the Congress leader, said on X. People of Assam deserve jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, not guns, he said. "Instead of strengthening police and border forces, the government is intent on distributing arms amongst BJP-RSS sympathisers and local criminal syndicates. This will lead to gang violence and crimes based on personal vendettas. Local businessmen and traders are bound to be harassed," he said. "This is not governance, this is a dangerous step backwards towards lawlessness and jungle raj," Gogoi, who is also deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, said. "This decision reflects not public concern, but electoral concerns. The Chief Minister must reverse it immediately and focus on restoring public trust through responsible leadership," he said. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, CM Sarma had said the decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet after reviewing the "demand" of the people living in these areas. "Assam is a very different and sensitive state. Assamese people living in some areas have been feeling insecure and they have been demanding arms licences for a long time," he had said. In the backdrop of recent developments in Bangladesh and the state government's recent drive against suspected foreigners, the indigenous people in such areas feel that they might be attacked, Sarma had said. This is a dangerous step backwards towards lawlessness and jungle raj. "The government will be lenient in giving licences to eligible people, who have to be original inhabitants and must belong to the indigenous community living in vulnerable and remote areas of the state. It will give additional courage to them," he had said.
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
‘Dangerous step towards lawlessness, jungle raj': Gogoi slams Assam govt decision on arms licences
Chief Minister Sarma said on Wednesday that the Assam government will give arms licences to indigenous people living in 'vulnerable and remote' areas for instilling a sense of security in them. Gogoi said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma must reverse the decision immediately and focus on restoring public trust through responsible leadership. New Delhi, May 29 (PTI) Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday condemned the state government's decision to give arms licences to indigenous people, saying this is not governance but a 'dangerous step' backwards towards 'lawlessness and jungle raj'. In a post on X, Gogoi said, 'I strongly condemn Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's decision to distribute arms to civilians in border regions of the state.' People of Assam deserve jobs, affordable healthcare, quality education, not guns, he said. 'Instead of strengthening police and border forces, the government is intent on distributing arms amongst BJP-RSS sympathisers and local criminal syndicates. This will lead to gang violence and crimes based on personal vendettas. Local businessmen and traders are bound to be harassed,' he said. 'This is not governance, this is a dangerous step backwards towards lawlessness and jungle raj,' Gogoi said. 'This decision reflects not public concern, but electoral concerns. The Chief Minister must reverse it immediately and focus on restoring public trust through responsible leadership,' he said. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, CM Sarma had said the decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet after reviewing the 'demand' of the people living in these areas. 'Assam is a very different and sensitive state. Assamese people living in some areas have been feeling insecure and they have been demanding arms licences for a long time,' he had said. In the backdrop of recent developments in Bangladesh and the state government's recent drive against suspected foreigners, the indigenous people in such areas feel that they might be attacked, Sarma had said. 'The government will be lenient in giving licences to eligible people, who have to be original inhabitants and must belong to the indigenous community living in vulnerable and remote areas of the state. It will give additional courage to them,' he had said. PTI ASK KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
‘C-grade drama'—Gogoi addresses Himanta's barbs about 2013 visit to Pakistan, Assam CM doubles down
'Around 14-15 years ago, my wife, who is a well-known public policy expert, spent a year there (Pakistan). She was working on an international project on climate change in 2011. She came to India in 2012-13 and took up a new job in 2015. While she was in her previous organisation, I had gone there (Pakistan) with her. The Assam CM has made a C grade Bollywood drama out of these facts,' Gogoi told a press conference, responding to questions on Sarma's charges. Gogoi said Sarma's 'ludicrous and ridiculous' allegations, bordering on a 'C grade Bollywood drama', came as a blessing in disguise for him as it had raised his profile in the state, where elections are due in early 2026. It also exposed the fears and insecurities of the CM, added Gogoi, who was named the Assam Congress president on 26 May. New Delhi: Newly-appointed Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi Wednesday accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of mischaracterising a private trip he made to Pakistan in 2013 with his wife to deflect attention from alleged corruption tied to the BJP leader's family. Gaurav married Elizabeth Colburn, who is a British citizen, in 2013. Minutes after the press conference held at the Congress's Akbar Road office in New Delhi, Sarma posted on X that Gogoi's remarks amounted to an 'admission' that he visited Pakistan. 'What lies ahead is far more serious. There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible inputs and documented information, to suggest that Shri Gogoi has maintained proximity with the Pakistani establishment…,' Sarma posted. The CM, who first made the allegation in February this year, has also set up a Special Investigation Team under the state police to investigate the matter. Finally , Congress MP Shri Gaurav Gogoi has admitted that he visited Pakistan. But let us be very clear — this is just the beginning, not the end. What lies ahead is far more serious. There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible inputs and documented… — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 28, 2025 Gogoi, who had so far neither denied nor confirmed that he visited Pakistan, Wednesday said he wanted to set the record straight by placing facts on his visit in the public domain. 'If I or my wife did anything wrong, what have the central agencies and the government done over the last 11 years? We know the extent of scrutiny that anyone crossing the border faces. And I am the leader of an opposition party who speaks his mind fearlessly. Everyone has my biodata and CV,' said Gogoi, son of late Tarun Gogoi, a three-time CM of Assam. Gogoi, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in the 2024 elections from upper Assam's Jorhat constituency, said Sarma, through his allegations, wanted to instill doubts about him in the minds of the Congress high command. During the 2024 general elections, Sarma led an aggressive campaign against Gogoi in Jorhat but failed to defeat him. 'The people of Assam have totally rejected that smear campaign. I am thankful to the chief minister for raising and elevating my profile in the state, where there was a view that my activities were limited to national politics only. That notion has been dispelled. And I am also thankful to him for exposing his fear and insecurity in such a transparent manner,' said the Assam Congress chief. 'The smear campaign is nothing but a ploy to obfuscate the illegal activities he (Sarma) has been indulging in through his family. He has used his family to amass ill gotten wealth and huge properties. Members of his family are heading 17 companies and getting government contracts,' he added. While he sidestepped questions on whether, in the run-up to the assembly polls, the Congress plans to revive the 16-member coalition of opposition parties that collapsed ahead of by-elections to five assembly seats in 2024, Gogoi virtually ruled out any future tie-up between the Congress and the AIUDF, saying 'often we have felt' that the Badruddin Ajmal-led outfit, 'through its conduct has behaved as the B-team of the BJP'. On Tuesday, the outgoing Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah made a strong pitch for the revival of the opposition alliance. Congress sources said attempts were being made to bring the coalition, which consisted of parties such as the Asom Jatiya Parishad and the CPI-ML, back to life. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: 'ISI' row isn't Himanta & Gaurav Gogoi's 1st mud fight. Rivalry goes back to Assam CM's Congress years
Mint
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
‘C-grade Bollywood movie': Gaurav Gogoi clarifies wife's ‘Pakistan links', Himanta Sarma promises ‘details on Sept 10'
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday intensified his allegations against Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi, asserting that Gogoi and his wife maintain close ties with Pakistan's establishment. On CM Sarma said, "I have documents to prove his wife's involvement in collecting Indian Intelligence input. I will reveal details on September 10." To this, in his first public statement on the matter, Gaurav Gogoi clarified that his wife spent only one year in Pakistan in 2013 while working on an international project focused on climate change in South Asia. Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Congress MP Gogoi and his wife of being 'deeply involved in anti-India activities' and highlighted that Gogoi's son, born in India, later acquired British citizenship after surrendering his Indian passport, calling these 'very serious allegations.' Assam CM Sarma also claimed that Gaurav Gogoi's visit to Pakistan was facilitated by Pakistan's Home Department, not its External Affairs or Cultural Ministries, framing it as a matter of grave national concern. Responding to these accusations, Gaurav Gogoi vehemently denied any wrongdoing. At a press conference in New Delhi, he stated, 'About 14-15 years ago, my wife, who is a well-known expert in public policy, worked on an international project in South Asia focused on climate change. She spent one year there, including some time in Pakistan, before returning to India around 2012-13. I also remember going with her once around 2013.' "Since then, she has continued her work and took a new job in 2015. I also remember going with her once in 2013. Their (the BJP's) job is defamation and by raking this issue they are creating this whole thing like a C-grade Bollywood movie which they have said would be released on September 10. But that is going to be a flop miserably," Gogoi said. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi dismissed the BJP leader's claims as 'ridiculous, baseless and nonsense,' describing the controversy as 'a C-grade Bollywood movie' scripted by the BJP. Gogoi questioned why the Central government had not acted over the past 11 years if there was any misconduct and accused Himanta Sarma of attempting to sow doubt within the Congress leadership. Gogoi further accused Sarma of a pattern of deception, referencing prior claims such as the allegation that Rahul Gandhi used a 'body double' during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. 'I am the son of Tarun Gogoi. I will not be intimidated. The truth will prevail,' he affirmed, demanding two SITs—one to investigate him and another to probe Sarma himself. Reacting to Gogoi's remarks, chief minister Himanta Sarma welcomed the Congress MP's 'admission' and claimed that credible evidence supports allegations of Gogoi's ties with the Pakistani establishment. 'Finally, Congress MP Shri Gaurav Gogoi has admitted that he visited Pakistan. But let us be very clear — this is just the beginning, not the end,' Sarma wrote on X. 'What lies ahead is far more serious. There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible inputs and documented information, to suggest that Shri Gogoi has maintained proximity with the Pakistani establishment,' he claimed. In the press conference at the Congress' 24, Akbar Road office, Gogoi raised questions about the timing and intent behind the allegations. 'Our counter-question is this: if, according to these accusations, my wife or I committed any wrongdoing or illegal act, then who has been in power for the last 11–12 years? What have the central agencies been doing all this time? Everyone knows the level of scrutiny involved when someone crosses a national border — whether entering or exiting,' Gogoi said.
