Gaurav Gogoi interview: ‘Assam CM says not a single penny deposited… Where are the funds then? What is going on in PM Kisan Sampada Yojana?’

You have alleged that a company run by Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife received a Rs 10 crore grant from the Central government. But Rinki Bhuyan has said her firm did not claim the subsidy or receive any money.

I don’t see any distinguishing factor between grants being sanctioned and money being claimed. The release of funds is a bureaucratic process. The grant was applied for, the grant was evaluated by the Union Ministry, and the grant was given to a media entity with no prior experience in food processing, which is the domain of that scheme, thereby depriving other genuine entrepreneurs of Assam and other small and medium scale enterprises who have vast experience in food processing. So, no doubt, being closely linked to the Chief Minister has helped this media channel get its approval for a grant.

The Chief Minister says that even if one rupee was deposited, he would resign. I am saying it doesn’t matter. The grant has been approved. So, in the court of public opinion, he should resign because his family has committed a moral offence. People don’t see the difference between a Rs 10 crore grant being approved and a Rs 10 crore grant being deposited in the bank account of this company. For them, it is the same thing. If you feel that getting Rs 10 crore deposited is wrong, then even getting the grant approval itself … he has already crossed the Lakshman Rekha. The process for applying for a grant and the approval takes time. He could have intervened at any point. The company’s name was mentioned in a reply Piyush Goyal gave to a question by a BJP MP in 2022.

Out of respect I will offer my free advice to the company linked to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma which has received approval for a Rs 10 crore grant from the Government of India. Please make Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP MP Pallab Das a party to the case. pic.twitter.com/6O3oJ7wKz2

— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) September 14, 2023

So, are you alleging that the Chief Minister knew about it all along?

Obviously. Because, the BJP MP from Assam posed the question and got a written reply from Union Minister Piyush Goyal in which among the list of entities was the name of the company, Pride East Entertainments Private Limited. The Chief Minister could have intervened at that stage if he was not aware till then. So, this is nothing but a drama. He has been caught like a thief who puts his hand into the cookie jar but is caught before he can take out a single cookie. But he is still a thief.

Why are you raising this now?

The issue was first reported by a local media entity five to six days ago. While we knew about the plot of land for which the grant has been sought, the land is in my constituency and there have been a lot of questions related to how that plot of land was bought in the first place. This media entity showcases documents that also raised a lot of questions — how a large plot of agricultural land was bought by a media entity at an abnormal speed and in a matter of one or two months it got converted into industrial land. Again something that is completely abnormal. So, it doesn’t matter whether the money got deposited into the account or not … he has committed a moral offence and he should resign. Before he resigns, he should set up an inquiry to find out how a media entity bought such a large plot of agricultural land at such an abnormal scale and speed and got it converted into industrial land at an abnormal speed. Thirdly, the Chief Minister said his wife has not taken a single rupee from the Central government. Can he also then clarify whether the firm has got any money from the state government? I would write a letter and seek clarification from Union Minister Piyush Goyal in whose reply he has mentioned that the firm has got approval for a grant of Rs 10 crore … I would like to know why the Chief Minister is claiming that not a single penny has been deposited. Where have the funds gone then? What is going on in Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana? I think the scheme needs further scrutiny.

PM Modi launched the Kisan Sampada scheme to double the income of farmers of India. But in Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used his influence to help his wife’s firm get Rs 10 crore as part of credit linked subsidy. Are Central government schemes meant to enrich BJP ? pic.twitter.com/ITqzrBCe4c

— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) September 13, 2023

You two share an interesting past. For a long time, Himanta Biswa Sarma was a blue-eyed boy of your late father Tarun Gogoi. And when he left the Congress, the buzz was that he felt he may not get a chance to become the Chief Minister as your father was grooming you as his successor.

The people of Assam are thanking Rahul Gandhi for his wisdom in supporting my father at that time when Himanta Biswa Sarma was vying to become the Chief Minister. Because they have seen how he is spewing venomous remarks and divisive remarks which go against the spirit of Assamese culture. The people of Assam are seeing how the Chief Minister and his family and the firms linked to the family have only become richer when poor people are being forced to pay higher taxes. So, the people of Assam are actually thanking Rahul Gandhi for his wisdom and his foresight in knowing that this is a person who will take Assam down the wrong path. And, therefore, today that onus is on the BJP. The Prime Minister, who says ‘na khaunga, na khane dunga (neither will I indulge in corruption nor will I tolerate it)’ is just allowing loot and plunder in the Northeast. So, the current episode is validating Rahul Gandhi’s political foresight.

You are heading to Hyderabad to attend the Congress Working Committee meeting. You are now a member of the main CWC. What is your expectation from the CWC meeting?

As All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar islands, I was part of the CWC earlier but now I am in the main body. I feel a deep sense of responsibility. I feel that we are at a momentous occasion because the Lok Sabha elections are approaching and people are crying for change. People are looking for a fresh alternative, a new set of ideas, and I think at the CWC we will discuss and debate the roadmap for a peaceful and prosperous India.

The BJP and the Prime Minister are attacking the Congress and the INDIA alliance, accusing you of trying to crush Sanatan Dharma. Are you worried?

I think the BJP is showing double standards on religion. I think they don’t have any moral authority to issue certificates on who is a Sanatani or not. Their allies in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) have stated in public that Lord Hanuman is fictional. Their own ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government come from a political family. A senior member has associated Hindu gods with alcohol. Their allies have denigrated Lord Ram and the BJP and the Prime Minister remain silent. So, they are no one to give anybody any certificate. They are not following the path of Hinduism in the first place.

But aren’t you worried about the electoral implications of the controversy, particularly in the Hindu heartland?

I think people have seen through this game of the BJP of using religion to mask all their failures, whether it is on economy, whether it is on national security — be it Jammu and Kashmir, or Haryana or Manipur — their failure to help people during national disasters — be it in floods in Himachal Pradesh or drought in Maharashtra — their hostile attitude towards farmers whom they call Khalistanis, towards intellectuals whom they call Urban Naxals, to the media whose ownership they control through corporates. So, I think the people of India can see through the game of the BJP. They tried it in Karnataka through issues of love jihad and hijab. The people of Karnataka voted them out and the people of India will do the same in 2024.

You mentioned the media. The INDIA alliance has put out a list of 14 television anchors it has decided to boycott. Is it a healthy practice in a democracy?

Let’s start with the Congress’s basic approach towards the media. Rahul Gandhi always takes questions from the press. He empowers the Indian media. Does Prime Minister Modi do that? Rahul Gandhi tells the media ‘daro mat (don’t be afraid)’, ‘I know you are under tremendous pressure’. This government, on the other hand, when it does not like a particular media entity, sends its corporate cronies or Income-Tax officers to coerce the media. The BJP government intimidates the media. Their government in Manipur has filed an FIR. Rahul Gandhi has told the media that ‘we are with you, don’t be afraid, and you fight for journalism’. For us, journalism is about speaking truth to power. Journalism is about uncovering the truth and demanding accountability … that sort of journalism the Congress supports. But journalism that spreads hate and division and creates enmity among communities, that is not journalism. That is Radio Rwanda. We don’t want Radio Rwanda type of journalism in India. Our unity and integrity are far too precious. And if certain anchors are dictated by their political masters to divide India, then I am sorry the Congress will not be part of that agenda. And I don’t think the journalism that those anchors are practising reflects Indian journalism.

But publicly putting out a blacklist, is that a good practice?

As I said, we don’t want to be on a platform that spreads hate. Spreading hate and enmity among communities as per Section 153 of the IPC is a criminal offence. We don’t want to be part of a crime. There is already too much toxicity. The Supreme Court itself has taken cognisance of the channels. The Supreme Court has itself asked the Government to be far more vigilant in media practices. So, we are only saying that we will only support anchors who practise the best of Indian journalism. I think it is very clear that the BJP, instead of pointing fingers at us, should ask why are media professionals getting FIRs from the Manipur government for simply reporting the truth. They should ask.

There are instances of such cases in Opposition-ruled states as well. A journalist was arrested in West Bengal just the other day.

Broadly speaking, as I said, Indian journalism, which has always been about speaking truth to power, which has always been about asking tough questions, that is the kind of journalism we will support. Any journalism that spreads hate, we don’t want to be part of. The INDIA alliance is about uniting India but certain sections of the media unfortunately have allowed themselves to be coerced into a point where they are dividing and breaking the spirit of India.