APCC President Gaurav Gogoi sounds the election bugle in Barak Valley

Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 29 : Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday declared that a decisive political battle would be fought in the Barak Valley. Addressing a regional Congress meeting held in Cachar district of the Barak Valley, Gogoi said it is now certain that a Congress government will be formed in Assam this time.
He said the people of the Barak Valley are today remembering late Tarun Gogoi, who had personally visited the region and thought about its development in close consultation with the local population.
"Tarun Gogoi had spoken about granting sub-divisional status to Katigorah Mouza and had worked to ensure political security for everyone. He had clearly stated that all those whose names were included in the voters' list up to 2014 are Indian citizens. He had also focused on ensuring that representatives from the Barak Valley gained adequate political power. Tarun Gogoi sought advice from senior Congress leaders like Santosh Mohan Dev and Ajit Singh and held discussions on what needed to be done for the development of Barak," he said.
Gaurav Gogoi further said that today, no serious discussion is taking place on the development of the Barak Valley.
"Since Himanta Biswa Sarma became Chief Minister, Barak has ceased to be a valley of development and has instead turned into a valley of syndicates. There is no talk of honouring the language martyrs, no discussion on railway connectivity or national highways," he said.
"Health centres in Barak are facing an acute shortage of doctors, and government schools in tea gardens have been shut down, yet the government shows no concern for these problems," he added.
According to Gogoi, the Chief Minister is only focused on how to allow betel nut to enter Assam through the Barak from outside the state.
He alleged that Himanta Biswa Sarma has openly boasted of being a "vote thief" and has himself admitted that he wants to steal votes. The people of Assam, he said, have realised that the BJP is a party of thieves and looters. He alleged that the BJP government has not only stolen votes but has also stolen cattle belonging to indigenous people in Upper Assam. Referring to incidents in Tinsukia, he said cattle theft has begun directly from cowsheds. In Kokrajhar, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong, he alleged that attempts are being made to grab land from the Bodo, Rabha and Karbi communities.
Gogoi further alleged that the BJP is stealing votes from religious minorities, land from tribal communities, cattle from indigenous people and even water from tea gardens. He said people in tea gardens now say, "There is a tap but no water," adding that the Jal Jeevan Mission has turned into "money in Jayanta's pocket."
Questioning the government, Gogoi asked whether the problems of D-voters have been resolved, whether the NRC-related issues have been addressed, and whether ration distribution problems have been solved. He said this is why Bengali-speaking people did not vote for the BJP in the recent BTC elections. In Kokrajhar, he claimed, people do not like Himanta Biswa Sarma. He accused the Chief Minister of attempting to question the citizenship of Bengali people in Assam, despite the fact that they identify themselves as Indians.
Gogoi said that "since Himanta Biswa Sarma became Chief Minister, Bengali people in Assam are being portrayed not as Indians but as Bangladeshis." He termed it shameful that people who have lived in Assam for generations, built their homes here and educated their children are now being labelled as Bangladeshis. He accused the BJP of not understanding Bangladesh or the Bengali language, citing the recent incident in Karimganj where a case was filed against a person for singing "Amar Sonar Bangla."
'The BJP does not understand the history of Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote "Amar Sonar Bangla" during the Bengal Partition with nationalist ideals," he said.
Referring to discussions on "Vande Mataram" in Parliament, Gogoi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to project the slogan as if it were a creation or property of the BJP, without once mentioning that Rabindranath Tagore first sang "Vande Mataram" at a Congress session. He said freedom fighters chanted "Vande Mataram" while facing bullets and lathis during the struggle against British rule, whereas the ideological predecessors of the BJP never opposed the British nor participated in the freedom movement. Yet today, he said, the BJP seeks credit for the freedom struggle.
Gogoi alleged that since the BJP came to power, only one family has seen progress -- the family of Himanta Biswa Sarma. He claimed that tea gardens and land have been purchased in the name of the Chief Minister's wife across the state and that 18 companies are registered in the name of his son. He said there is no district in Assam -- including Tinsukia, Majuli, Dibrugarh and Guwahati -- where land has not been purchased in the name of the Chief Minister's wife. He announced that the Congress would soon launch a website detailing all such land purchases district-wise and make the information public. He added that when a Congress government comes to power, such land would be reclaimed and distributed among the poor.
He accused the BJP government of insulting and making derogatory remarks against religious minorities, while asserting that the Congress takes pride in Assam's tradition of harmony. He said Congress follows the inclusive Hindu ideals of Swami Vivekananda and seeks to build a better Assam inspired by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Questioning Himanta Biswa Sarma's claim of being a Hindu leader, Gogoi asked how one can be called a Hindu leader when ministers in the government are allegedly involved in cattle syndicates. He described the Chief Minister as a fearful and opportunistic politician who switches parties when faced with trouble, stating that he lacks firm ideological ground.
Gogoi recalled that Himanta Biswa Sarma joined Congress when he faced difficulties in the Asom Gana Parishad, and later jumped to the BJP when he encountered trouble in Congress. He said Rahul Gandhi has stated that if a Congress government comes to power, Himanta Biswa Sarma's address will be in jail. He alleged that Sarma believes he can always escape accountability by switching parties, but asserted that Congress will never accept him again.
He said the present government has failed to uplift the people of Assam and has instead promoted syndicate operators. Referring to internal BJP developments, Gogoi alleged that Siddhartha Bhattacharyya was humiliated after being brought into the party. He predicted that a political tsunami would begin in Upper Assam, sweep through Lower Assam, and be welcomed by the people of Barak as well.
He announced that Congress mandal committees in Barak have already begun wall-writing campaigns and reiterated that a Congress government would resolve NRC-related issues. He promised to restore the political strength of Barak by reclaiming the two Assembly seats that were taken away.
"The people of Assam are no longer afraid of BJP "thieves and looters" and are now standing up like police themselves to hold them accountable. He added that the Congress would play the role of the prosecution," Gogoi stated.
Addressing the meeting, Congress observer for Assam Bandhu Tirkey exposed what he described as the BJP's falsehoods and termed Himanta Biswa Sarma a "lying Chief Minister." He said the people of Assam must resolve to free themselves from corruption and syndicate rule in the coming election. AICC secretary in charge of Assam Vikas Upadhyay, Assam Youth Congress observer Mitendra Darshan Singh and Dhubri Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain also addressed the gathering and called upon the people to unite and overthrow the corrupt Himanta Biswa Sarma government.