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New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Get off your high horse: Akhil Gogoi to MP Gaurav
Do you ever get miffed if someone does not take your calls? Well, you are not alone. RTI activist-turned-MLA Akhil Gogoi has a bone to pick with Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi — the latter has not been picking his calls. Expressing his frustration about it, the Raijor Dal chief remarked, 'Talking to Gaurav Gogoi is like talking to the Prime Minister's office. How would a leader feel when he calls up a person of his stature and it goes unattended?' Slamming the MP for his arrogance, Akhil said, 'Gaurav must stop acting like he's the king and everyone else is his subject.' Akhil signed off with a word of advice for the Congress leader — get off your high horse. One of oldest railway stations gets makeover The Haibargaon Railway Station, one of Assam's oldest railway stations, has got a makeover with modern modular toilets, a baby feeding room, kids' play area, an upgraded waiting hall adorned with local art and cultural murals, a refreshment room directly connected to the platform and a redesigned platform surface. The station in central Assam's Nagaon district has been re-developed under the flagship Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Haibargaon holds historical significance as it once served as a key node during the British rule. Originally built in 1887, the station has now been transformed into a world-class facility.
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
How BJP clinched a massive victory in Assam's panchayat election
Written by Juri Baruah The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's massive victory in the Assam panchayat election — it secured 300 out of 376 zilla parishad seats — reveals its strong foothold at the village and block level. While the BJP's seat share has increased from 50.48 per cent in 2018 to 68.51 per cent in 2025 for the zilla parishad, for the anchalik panchayat, it has increased from 46.66 per cent to 57.70 per cent. The BJP, with its alliance partners Asom Gana Parishad, Gana Sakti, and Rabha Hasong Joutha Mancha, reinforced its dominance in state politics as the Opposition struggled to regain lost ground. The panchayat election results can be used as an entry point to understand the trajectory of electoral politics in the state. A possible reason for the BJP's victory is the popularity of several beneficiary schemes at the grassroots. Schemes like Orunodoi, Nijut Moina, and Mahila Udayamita seem to have played a massive role in consolidating the votes. Along with the beneficiary schemes, the BJP-led government's employment drive for Grade III and IV benefited the lower middle class and the educated young generation. On the contrary, a lack of substantial trust and failure to raise important issues for the panchayat election led to the Opposition's crushing defeat. Its failure to forge an alliance, the absence of a clear imaginative roadmap, and a lack of connection to the common people also worked against it. Notably, Congress even fared poorly in Upper Assam districts, particularly in the Jorhat parliamentary constituency represented by MP Gaurav Gogoi. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the Jorhat constituency gained national attention due to a tough battle between the BJP and Congress. Though people supported Gogoi — it was the first time he fought from Jorhat constituency — the ground situation has changed in 2025. Congress failed to win even a single zilla parishad seat in the Jorhat constituency. The performance of Raijor Dal, another opposition party that contested the rural polls for the first time, was also not satisfactory. The party lost its home turf in Sivasagar, from where Akhil Gogoi was elected as an MLA in the 2021 Assembly election. In the Sivasagar constituency, while Raijor Dal failed to open its account, the BJP won 11 ZP seats out of 12, and its alliance partner, Asom Gana Parishad, won the remaining one. Raijor Dol managed to win only one seat in the Demow assembly constituency out of 82 anchalik panchayats. The party won three zilla parishad seats and 19 anchalik panchayat seats across the state. Notably, all three ZP seats won by Raijor Dal are part of the Opposition-ruled constituencies: Pabho zila parishad under Naobiocha constituency, Shyamtila Aparia zila parishad under Dalgaon constituency, and Mahamaya zila parishad under Gauripur constituency. The party's victory in anchalik panchayat mostly came from Dhubri, Barpeta, and Morigaon districts — the traditional bastions of Congress or AIUDF. Most opposition leaders, while criticising the Hindutva agenda of the BJP-led alliances, failed to provide an alternative outline for the voters. They were busy discussing issues such as the state's increasing debt, which hardly resonated at the grassroots. On the contrary, the BJP, without stepping into the campaign rhetoric of the Opposition, made promises to reduce electricity bills, cooking gas prices, and affordable rations of rice and sugar. The panchayat election in Assam shows that without a strong alliance and an alternative politics, the Opposition cannot beat the BJP. Unfortunately, there is a lack of visionary leaders in the opposition parties in Assam who can understand that unity is not only required to win elections but also to hold a strong government accountable. The writer teaches at DCB Girls' college, Jorhat, Assam
New Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi apologises for making objectionable remarks on Muslim voters supporting BJP
GUWAHATI: Assam MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi apologised to the people of the state for his remarks that Muslims who vote for the BJP are 'kaafirs and will be punished by God.' 'I apologise to the people of Assam for what I said. I shouldn't have said so,' Gogoi said in a video message with folded hands. He also tendered an unconditional apology to his party colleagues who were offended by his remarks. 'I had deviated from progressive and rational thinking. I made a mistake. I will not make such a comment in the future,' the RTI activist-turned-Sivasagar MLA said. Citing stress due to hectic panchayat poll campaigning, he said his remarks were sudden and not well thought out. He had made the remarks during campaigning in the Lakhimpur district on Saturday. For the past few days, Gogoi has been vitriolic in his attack on not only the ruling BJP but also opposition parties. He had called the minority-based party All India United Democratic Front the 'B team' of the BJP, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and Congress leader Debabrata Saikia the 'agents' of the BJP and slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his alleged 'divisive' politics.
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Akhil Gogoi apologises for comment on pro-BJP Muslim voters
GUWAHATI Sibsagar MLA and Raijor Dal president has apologised for saying Muslims who vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party are kafirs and would be punished by God. He made this remark while campaigning for the panchayat polls in areas under the Naoboicha Assembly constituency in northeastern Assam's Lakhimpur district on Saturday (April 26, 2025). The comment triggered criticisms within and beyond his party, making Mr Gogoi issue an 'unconditional apology' on social media platforms in a late-night address. 'I deviated from progressive and rational thinking to make a statement I should not have. I made a mistake and seek forgiveness from all,' he said with folded hands. An activist-turned-politician who was jailed in 2019 for alleged instigation during the violent anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act movement in Assam, Mr Gogoi has been making headlines in the run-up to the panchayat polls scheduled for May 2 and 7. He first attacked the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front, calling it the 'B-team' of the BJP and complementing the latter's communal politics. He then called Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma a man who thrives on creating divisions. The Raijor Dal chief also targeted the leaders of his party's ally, Congress, for not adhering to the principles of alliance, particularly in the Sivasagar district. He suggested a political alignment between Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and the BJP.
