Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi expelled from Assam Assembly for day over budget protest

Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi was suspended from the Assam Legislative Assembly for the remainder of the day on July 15 after repeatedly interrupting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's speech during the discussion on the Assam Budget 2026–27.

 

Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass ordered Gogoi's suspension after the Sivasagar MLA questioned the Chief Minister over Assam's ranking in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) while the Chief Minister was addressing the House during the Budget Session.

 

Following his expulsion, Gogoi staged a protest outside the Assembly wearing a black scarf as a mark of protest against the Speaker's decision.

 

Speaking to reporters, Gogoi alleged that he was suspended for raising questions about poverty in Assam. He claimed he had referred to a NITI Aayog report which, according to him, placed Assam among the states with high multidimensional poverty.

 

Gogoi further argued that poverty could not be addressed through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes alone and called for greater budgetary allocation and long-term planning to tackle the issue.

 

Reacting to the recent police encounter in Bihar, the Raijor Dal legislator also criticised what he described as "fake encounters" and alleged that extrajudicial killings had become a recurring feature under BJP governments.

 

He further claimed that 81 people had been killed in police encounters in Assam, with several others sustaining injuries, and urged the Supreme Court to intervene and ensure accountability in alleged cases of extrajudicial killings across the country.