‘Assam is facing a crisis’: Gaurav Gogoi flags deaths of migrant workers, alleges systemic failure

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has raised concern over the rising number of deaths among migrant workers from Assam, calling it a “system that has failed its people” and accusing the state government of ignoring the crisis.

Citing recent data, Gogoi said 162 workers from Assam have died across the country in the past six months. These deaths occurred in factories, construction sites, mines and unsafe living conditions, which he described as “not isolated tragedies” but evidence of deeper structural problems.

“Assam is facing a crisis,” he wrote, adding that young people are being “forced to leave home” due to a lack of viable opportunities within the state. He pointed to weakening agriculture, low wages and limited employment as key factors driving migration, often into hazardous and insecure work.

Gogoi also criticised the response of the government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that it has “neither acknowledged the scale of this crisis nor made it a political priority”. He added that authorities have chosen “to look away while lives are lost”.

In his remarks, the MP took aim at the state’s development narrative, stating that “the lives of Assam’s workers have little value” in the current model, which he said prioritises “optics over people”. He further described the situation as “not governance” but an “abandonment of responsibility, of accountability, and of the very people the state is meant to protect”.

Assam has long seen outward migration driven by economic constraints, particularly among rural youth seeking work in other states. However, the reported scale of recent deaths has intensified scrutiny of labour conditions and the lack of safeguards for migrant workers.