Gaurav Gogoi interview: ‘Himanta Sarma has left Assam bankrupt… hence beef ban, it doesn’t require money’

On the other hand, the state elections in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and Haryana were fought on local and state issues. We won two of the four states as part of the INDIA bloc. No doubt, the results in Haryana and Maharashtra are a setback, but we have no option but to move forward.

Since the Assembly results, a few voices within the INDIA bloc have questioned the Congress’s claim to leadership of the Opposition. Do you think cohesion will be an issue in the future?

See, elections are held in a very heated and competitive environment where even allies compete with each other. Hence, there are bound to be statements. But look at Parliament, where we are passionately raising people’s issues. There is a strong sense of unity in a constructive environment. The people are seeing that. Please keep in mind that the alliance won in Jharkhand, and Jammu and Kashmir.

But even in Parliament, some INDIA bloc partners are not on board about disruptions over the Gautam Adani issue. Do you think that the Congress has pushed it too much?

The Congress has been raising all critical issues – Adani, Manipur, China, Bangladesh, Sambhal and air pollution in Delhi-NCR – in Parliament. We had outlined these issues during the meeting of floor leaders of INDIA bloc parties. It is a disservice to say that the Congress is talking only about one issue, especially when it has seemingly put the government on the backfoot.

Some INDIA bloc members also have issues with the new seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has accused the Congress of not allowing good seats for its MPs. Should the Congress reconsider its approach in Parliament?

I think the INDIA bloc has not been given its fair share in Parliament. Purely based on numbers, the alliance should have been given the chairmanship of more House panels. Only the numbers of the SP, Congress and DMK were considered while those of the smaller parties were ignored. We have continuously fought and negotiated on the issue with the government.

Regarding seating, we were told in the Budget session that the INDIA bloc would get seven seats in the front row but two days before the seating was announced, it was reduced to six. The government has been unfair to us in every aspect.

But some allies are blaming the Congress…

The Congress has been advocating committee chairmanship for all allies, including those which have a single MP. We have also spoken about them being given a decent amount of time (to speak in the House). We have been fighting for INDIA bloc members and have accommodated them in seating arrangements too. They can share their concerns, if any, with us.

Speaking of your home state Assam, the Congress drew a blank in the recent bypolls to five Assembly seats in the state, including in its bastion of Samaguri. What do you think were the reasons?

Police machinery was misused during the recent bypolls in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Assam to target Opposition MLAs. In Samaguri, the (former Congress) MLA’s cars were vandalised by BJP supporters in front of the police. In Uttar Pradesh, police were intimidating voters. They played the role of party workers everywhere. While this created an environment of fear, the Election Commission (EC) remained a mute spectator. The bypolls were unfair and trampled on the fundamental rights of people.

In Assam, the BJP focused so much on Samaguri that their vote share in other seats reduced. They (the BJP) performed worse on seats that they had done well in, during the Lok Sabha polls only six months ago.

Ahead of the bypolls, the Congress withdrew from the regional Opposition alliance, the Asom Sonmilito Morcha, against the wishes of the state leadership. Do you think it was a mistake?

In the bypolls, whether the BJP or the Congress, we ended up contesting separately. The voters also understand that parties try to enhance their presence in bypolls. With regard to Behali, where our allies wanted to contest, our vote share has increased there. We will talk to our allies and see how we can go forward.

Following allegations from senior Congress leaders that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP ‘offered beef to pursue Bengali Muslim voters in Samaguri’, the Assam government has banned beef in the state. What is your stand?

Sarma has bankrupted the state and hence two big decisions – renaming big cities and towns, and beef ban – which do not require any money, have been taken. There is no money to build roads, colleges, bridges and hospitals. Will people get jobs and salaries or will their health improve by doing all this? The people of Assam understand this.

After the people of Jorhat defeated his politics, the people of Jharkhand rejected Sarma’s politics. Now, the people of India have learnt their lesson. The corrupt leadership of the CM, the misuse of power and the concentration of wealth in the hands of his family and close ministers have not gone unnoticed. This will be clear in the Assembly elections, which are just one year away.