Assam: Congress expels Golaghat district president after his pic with Himanta Biswa Sarma goes viral

In a significant political development within the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), Dadu Taye, the Golaghat District Congress Committee (DCC) president, has been expelled from his position following a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. This incident, which took place in Golaghat on February 15, has stirred considerable controversy and led to immediate action by the APCC.

Shocked by the party's action against him, Dadu Taye alleged that his association with Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has been long and claims to have served Gogoi for more than 15 years. Taye alleged that he went to meet the chief minister for a personal reason. 

The controversy began when Dadu Taye felicitated Chief Minister Sarma with a gamosa at a function in Golaghat district, the pic which later went viral and became the alleged reason for Taye's expulsion from the party. This act did not sit well with the higher echelons of the APCC, prompting them to issue a show-cause notice to Taye. 

The notice demanded a response within 72 hours, questioning why Taye should not be expelled from the party for his actions. The APCC's concern was that Taye's meeting with the Chief Minister, especially without informing the party's higher authorities, sent wrong messages to the public at a time when the BJP was perceived as trying to create confusion and when several Congress leaders had joined the BJP.

The show-cause notice highlighted the gravity of the situation by mentioning the physical attacks on APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah during Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, allegedly under the orders of the Chief Minister. It criticized Taye for not considering these circumstances before his meeting, which was described as happening "in the dead of night."

Following this episode, the APCC took decisive action by appointing Golap Saikia as the in-charge president of the Golaghat DCC, effectively removing Dadu Taye from his post. 

Taye held a press meet on February 16 where he accused Kaliabar MP Gaurav Gogoi of getting him suspended. Taye exploded in his anger towards Gogoi while even going to the extent of stating that he does not possess the blood of Tarun Gogoi, but instead his blood has been corrupted with that of Miya blood.

"In the midst of the strong BJP wave, the people of Kaliabar constituency gave you victory twice. Which lower level leader have you discussed with and made the decision to go away to Nagaon? What will we answer to our district Congress workers? Have you ever talked to me as a district president regarding this? Why cant you say that no matter what happens, you would contest from Kaziranga. If you can leave us and run away to Nagaon straight into the lungi of Rockybul Hussain, then you don't have the blood of Tarun Gogoi inside you, you don't have an Ahom's blood. Your body has been corrupted with the blood of Rockybul Hussain, with the blood of a Miya. People of upper Assam will not forgive you in the fuiture," said Taye. 

Taye's comment comes in even as rumours have been doing the round that Gaurav Gogoi may contest from the Nagaon lok Sabha seat instead of Kaziranga post the last delimitation exercise. The rumoured move of Gogoi has allegedly put him in loggerheads with Pradyut Bordoloi, the sitting Congress MP from Nagaon. Gogoi's rumoured move to Nagaon has been cited to the backing given by Congress leader Rockybul Hussain, who is himself rumoured to be running from the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat. 

The suspended Golaghat district Congress president further targeted Gaurav Gogoi by saying that while he has been targeted for meeting the CM, former MLA Roselina Tirkey is being given a ticket to the Kaziranga seat inspite of her having met BJP leaders back in 2020, which had then fuelled rumours of Tirkey jumping ship to BJP.  

This expulsion and the issuance of a show-cause notice to Dadu Taye mark a critical moment for the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee as it navigates its political strategies and internal coherence in the dynamic political landscape of Assam.

Also read: Assam: Suspended Congress leader claims not 'Ahom blood' but 'Miya blood' runs through MP Gaurav Gogoi