Rahul Gandhi brands Himanta 'most corrupt CM', calls Assam 'land ATM' at Bokajan, Titabor rallies

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, hit the campaign trail in Assam on April 2, addressing two packed public rallies in Bokajan, Karbi Anglong, and Titabor in Jorhat district. Speaking for the Congress and its alliance, he framed the upcoming Assembly elections as a choice between “Zubeen Garg’s ideals” and what he branded the “hatred and arrogance” of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

At the Bokajan rally, Gandhi formally launched the Congress election manifesto and vowed to fully implement Article 244(A) for Karbi Anglong if the party comes to power. “We are fully committed to implementing Article 244(A). I have walked 4,000 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir; whatever I decide, I complete,” he said. “You will not be run by remote control as now—you will have control over your own rights. Governance will be from here, not from Guwahati.”

Gandhi cast the BJP‑led “double‑engine” government at the Centre and in Assam as a threat to indigenous rights and local autonomy. “Assam is a beautiful bouquet of diverse ideologies, religions and communities, where every identity must have its own space,” he said, charging that the current government is handing over land and resources to corporate groups instead of empowering local institutions.

He repeated his claim that the Prime Minister, Home Minister Amit Shah and Himanta Biswa Sarma have “turned Assam into a land ATM.” “They take as much land as they want,” Gandhi alleged. “But remember, after the elections, when our government comes, this arrogance will vanish in two minutes. He will have to stand before us with folded hands, and he will not be forgiven.”

In Titabor, Gandhi once again branded Himanta Biswa Sarma the “most corrupt Chief Minister in the country’s history,” accusing him of gifting thousands of bighas to corporate interests. He cited figures such as 18,000 bighas to Adani for a solar project, 13,000 bighas to Ambani, and large tracts to Ramdev’s Patanjali, claiming syndicate rule is being run in Assam under Delhi’s direction.

“Even a thousand apologies by the Chief Minister who has deceived the people will not help,” Gandhi declared, echoing an earlier remark by Gaurav Gogoi. “Sooner or later, the Chief Minister will have to account for his wrongdoings and corruption before the people. No matter how much he shouts or creates a spectacle, no power in the world can save him from the law.”

Taking aim at New Delhi, Gandhi claimed that Donald Trump “fully controls Modi by threatening to expose the Epstein files.” He said, “Donald Trump has publicly claimed he can destroy Narendra Modi’s political career” and alleged that “if Modi asks him to jump, Himanta Biswa Sarma jumps. If Modi asks him to bow before someone, he does so.”

Gandhi warned that trade‑related agreements with the US, including a requirement to purchase goods worth about ₹9 lakh crore annually, would hit small and medium enterprises and expose Indian farmers to cheap foreign imports. “This is not governance for the people; it is governance for corporates,” he said.

Drawing on Assam’s cultural icons, Gandhi invoked Srimanta Sankardev, Bhupen Hazarika, Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Zubeen Garg as symbols of unity and “love in the market of hatred.” He insisted that Zubeen’s ideals were “completely opposite” to those of Himanta Biswa Sarma, and argued that the incumbent’s politics rests on spreading fear rather than solidarity.

“I said during the Bharat Jodo Yatra about a shop of love in the market of hatred—that exists in the soul of the people of Assam,” Gandhi said. “But the Chief Minister stands far removed from this idea. His work is to spread hatred and violence, intimidate people, and behave arrogantly.”

Promising to investigate the circumstances around Zubeen Garg’s death within 100 days if Congress forms government, he said, “What happened to Zubeen Garg, who was responsible—we will investigate within 100 days and take strict action.” To bolster his campaign, Gandhi enumerated five guarantees for the electorate: monthly financial assistance and Rs 50,000 support for women’s self‑reliance, land pattas for 10 lakh indigenous people, Rs 1,250 pension and a dedicated ministry for senior citizens, and free health insurance up to Rs 25 lakh.

APCC President Gaurav Gogoi joined Gandhi on stage at both rallies, accusing Assam’s politics of being run by “coal, supari, cattle, sand” and other syndicates. “Assam’s leadership cannot be handed over to those involved in cattle and coal syndicates,” he said, targeting Himanta Biswa Sarma and his allies.

Gogoi alleged that the syndicate network, which he traced back to the Congress era, had “expanded” under Tarun Gogoi’s leadership and later morphed into a central pillar of BJP rule. He accused Sarma of betraying former chief ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and his own mentor, claiming that tickets are now “given to those associated with syndicates while genuine leaders are sidelined.”

“This election is about cleaning up Assam’s political environment, which has been degraded to a very low level,” Gogoi said. “The people will no longer tolerate such authoritarian and low‑quality politics.”

The Bokajan rally also featured APHLC chief Jhon Ingti Kathar, who highlighted Karbi Anglong’s long‑pending demand for autonomy. Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, AICC General Secretary Jitendra Singh, and AICC Secretary Vikas Upadhyay were present at both venues, alongside Congress and alliance candidates from Bokajan and Titabor.

Congress leaders described the joint rallies as the climax of an intensive campaign that followed earlier visits by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Priyanka Gandhi. As the state approaches the April 9 Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi urged voters to “form a government for the poor and working classes” and to reclaim Assam’s governance from what he termed a Delhi‑controlled, corruption‑ridden regime.