Dibrugarh: Congress on Thursday organised a special Zonal Party Convention at the Tiloi Gramya Bazar auditorium in Moran, Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
Addressing party office-bearers and workers from five districts and 26 Assembly constituencies, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi called upon party cadres to reach out to the masses with the question, “Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?”
Speaking to a large gathering, Gogoi launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of political betrayal. Drawing a comparison with the late former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, he said that despite serving as Chief Minister for 15 years, Tarun Gogoi neither amassed wealth nor had companies registered in the names of his family members. He questioned the source of the assets allegedly held by the Chief Minister’s family and demanded accountability.
Gogoi also alleged that during the previous Assembly elections, the BJP had projected Sarbananda Sonowal as its Chief Ministerial face, only to install Himanta Biswa Sarma as Chief Minister after the elections. He described the move as the outcome of a “larger political game.”
Raising concerns over the state’s finances, the APCC president claimed that Assam is burdened with debt exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore, taken in the name of development, while the common people are subjected to increased taxation.
He alleged that welfare schemes were being used as tools to mislead the public, even as the tax burden continued to rise.
Former Chhattisgarh minister and senior Congress leader Bandhu Tirkey, who also addressed the convention, accused the BJP of deceiving tribal communities and tea garden workers. He alleged that the BJP government had failed to increase wages, grant land pattas, or provide Scheduled Tribe status to tea garden workers, using them merely as a vote bank.
Tirkey further pointed out that despite the significant population of tea garden communities in the Dibrugarh parliamentary constituency, no candidate from the community was given a ticket.
The convention, organised under the banner of the Dibrugarh District Congress Committee with the slogan “Haath se Haath Jodo, Naya aur Behtar Assam Gado” (Join Hands, Build a New and Better Assam), was attended by former ministers Pawan Singh Ghatowar, senior leaders Vikas Upadhyay, Debabrata Saikia, Bhupen Bora, several former MLAs, party leaders, and invited guests.
Deliberations during the convention focused on strengthening the organisation, chalking out future political strategies, and addressing public grievances. Leaders asserted that the Congress would intensify its fight on people’s issues and work to strengthen the party down to the booth level to emerge as a credible political alternative in the state.
Speaking to reporters, Gaurav Gogoi said, “Under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s rule in Assam, the state’s lands are being handed over to Adani, Ambani, and Patanjali. His alleged involvement in corruption and scams is already known to the people.
Our party members will go house to house and inform people about the corruption and scams mushrooming under CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s rule, in which he has allegedly been involved.”
He added, “Under his rule, cows are not safe in the cowsheds, they are reportedly going missing. The syndicate in coal and sand has been mushrooming, and Himanta Biswa Sarma has allegedly been involved in all these syndicates.”