‘The day Rahul becomes PM, Himanta in jail’: Gaurav Gogoi’s fiery warning

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on October 2 launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, claiming that the CM would face a case and go to jail if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi becomes Prime Minister.

Addressing a campaign gathering, Gogoi said a case would be filed against Sarma "the very next day" after Rahul Gandhi becomes Prime Minister and alleged that the Assam chief minister would subsequently be jailed.

Gogoi also alleged that the Narendra Modi government was formed through what he described as "vote theft", continuing the Congress's campaign against the Election Commission and its handling of electoral rolls.

The Congress has repeatedly raised allegations of "vote theft" during the ongoing political campaign. The Election Commission, however, has rejected the opposition's interpretation of internal objections and electoral-roll decisions as evidence of wrongdoing, maintaining that decisions were taken through due process.

Gogoi's remarks come amid an increasingly combative campaign in Assam, with the Congress targeting the BJP government and Sarma personally ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll.

In recent campaign meetings, Gogoi has accused the BJP of manipulating elections and alleged that the party formed the Assam government by "stealing votes".

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took a swipe at Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, saying election campaigns should focus on issues concerning voters rather than discussions about jail.

Reacting to remarks by Gogoi, Sarma said elections should be about issues such as roads, schools, colleges and government welfare schemes, including Orunodoi.

“When elections come, one should think about votes, not jail,” Sarma said.

He added, “When elections come, one should talk about roads, schools, colleges and Orunodoi.”

Taking a dig at Gogoi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Sarma said the two leaders spoke about jail whenever elections approached.

“But Gaurav Gogoi and Rahul Gandhi talk about jail whenever elections come,” he said.

Sarma further remarked that prisoners do not vote, while ordinary citizens do.

“Prisoners in jail do not vote. The general public votes,” the chief minister said.