Discourses From the East
A tug of war between Gaurav Gogoi and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has set the likely tune of campaign of BJP for the ensuing assembly election. The allegation of CM Sarma that Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent and had close association with the country is the catch points of BJP workers and leaders. BJP state president Dilip Saikia has said today that nobody will trust a Pakistani agent anymore in the form of Gaurav Gogoi.
Assam has seen CM Sarma engaged in the issue of Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistani link for a year now and periodically he kept on highlighting it. And at last on February 8th, he addressed a presser for over 2 and a half hours revealing a report produced by SIT that was formed by Assam government.
On the other hand, the Congress has set the campaign tone with the tagline—“Deshotkoi Mami Dangor Nohoi” (Mami is no greater than the country), clearly leveling allegations of scams of CM Sarma and his family, particularly his wife. Gaurav Gogoi is seen vociferously alleging that CM’s family has owned over 12,000 bighas of land in Assam, which according to him goes against the law.
The question is which will get set to be deciding factor in swaying voters mind? As of now, the battle is between Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistani link versus CM’s family’s alleged corruption in owning huge amount of property. Time will tell us, which one prevails
What Summarizes CM’s presser?
The most awaited presser can be summarized in two points—1. CM ended raising some pointed questions seeking answers from Gaurav Gogoi, 2. Referral of the case to union home ministry for further investigation.
CM Sarma hasn’t claimed the SIT report to be enough to prove that Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent. He said that the country and Assam needs answer from the Jorhat MP about his real motive of Pakistan visit, whether he met Ali Touqeer sheikh, about changing of citizenship and religion of Gogoi’s son and why Gogoi lied that he visited Pakistan during the period his wife was working there.
These were the questions that CM Sarma sought answers from Gaurav Gogoi at the presser where he revealed the SIT investigation report. CM Sarma also said on other occasions that what the Assam SIT has revealed is only 10%, there is a larger international conspiracy against India, which Gaurav Gogoi is a part of and for that reason the investigation report is being referred to the center.
What the CM revealed in the presser is some findings of the SIT—when did Gaurav Gogoi go to Pakistan, how did he go and how much time he spent there, his wife’s whereabouts in Pakistan and the present status of his children. The impression that can be drawn from CM’s presser is that the SIT got some information about Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistan visit and his wife’s whereabouts. But the investigation has to be intensified further to establish that Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent and probably for this reason CM Sarma has emphasized that the report is to be sent to the center for more clarity.
Gaurav Gogoi’s Counter-Presser
Gaurav Gogoi has addressed the media the other day, on 9th February where he revealed some of the information while answering to journalists.
First, Gogoi told that he went to Pakistan only to accompany his wife. According to him it was like a customary practice to accompany anyone’s wife after just three months of marriage. Gogoi also revealed the details of his journey in Pakistan and the process of Visa. He said that he went to visit Takshila the ancient academic marvel of Indus civilization.
He said his wife drew salary in her account in Pakistan till the time she was appointed in Pakistan.
Without going into details of the much hyped pressure, we here summarize it that Gaurav Gogoi responded to the questions flagged by CM Sarma, the veracity of which will be revealed only after further investigation.
Will it Benefit BJP?
It’s difficult to say at this moment. As this issue has been on the prominence hiighlighted none other than by CM Sarma himself, public perception will depend on who can appear more articulated in their response to each other. As of now, the Assam government and its SIT has brought out some information from its long investigation and nowhere they made public any solid evidence establishing Gogoi as a Pakistani agent.
In that situation, fuelling more on the issue may become counterproductive for the party. Had the SIT investigation led to filing a case against Gogoi which in turn led to his arrest, then the situation would have been different. No such possibilities can be seen in the near future.
What About Congress?
Well, Congress is not all trapped in this particular issue till now. However, if the party wants to benefit out of the fiasco, it will have to be more articulated in establishing that CM Sarma’s allegations are not weighty.
However, Congress is standing over a double-edged sword. Engaging more on the issue will enhance their chance of deviating more from their core issues for campaign for the election. On the other hand, if it fail to be more forceful and articulated on it, then they are sure to lose.
For Congress, BJP’s tremendous ground network, flurry of beneficiary schemes and strongly articulated narratives still remain challenges at the ground.
Assam’s political space has become highly charged up ahead of the assembly elections and people will get more engaged and keen to see where the tug of war heads towards.
Also Read: এটা ৰাজনৈতিক কবিতা/ A Political Poem
