Why Gaurav Gogoi owes Himanta Biswa Sarma a Thank-You note

The political landscape in Assam has been recently ignited by a contentious exchange between Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi. The dispute centres around allegations from Sarma and several BJP leaders, suggesting that Gaurav Gogoi and his wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, may have associations with high-ranking Pakistani officials, including a former Pakistani ambassador to India. Sarma has further hinted that the couple may have connections to George Soros, the billionaire financier often accused by right-wing groups of influencing global political movements. These allegations extend to claims that Gogoi posed sensitive questions in Parliament that could potentially serve Pakistani interests.

The Assam Police have registered an FIR against Pakistani national Ali Tauqueer Sheikh and unknown others under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). This action follows a directive from the state cabinet, led by Chief Minister Sarma, to investigate Sheikh's alleged connections with Elizabeth and any potential implications for national security. Sheikh is the founder of LEAD Pakistan, a non-profit organization focusing on climate change, where Elizabeth was reportedly an integral part during her tenure in Islamabad. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed for this case is tasked with examining whether these associations pose a threat to India's sovereignty and security.

This marks yet another chapter in the intensifying political rivalry between Sarma and Gogoi. It’s no secret that Gogoi’s entry into Assam politics in 2011 altered the political dynamics within the Congress, particularly straining relations between Sarma and then-Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. At the time, Sarma was the most influential Congress leader and widely regarded as Tarun Gogoi’s political successor. However, Gaurav’s emergence upended Sarma’s calculations, ultimately leading to his departure from the party.

In one of his criticisms of Gaurav Gogoi, Sarma alleged that a crucial decision within the Assam Congress in 2014 was swayed by external influences, including the purported American deep state. That decision, though Sarma has not revealed yet, was perhaps the denial of his claim to the Chief Minister’s position, despite 54 out of 78 Congress MLAs reportedly expressing their preference for him. The current Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had arrived as an AICC observer then, was informed of this support, yet Rahul Gandhi, who had a personal rapport with Gaurav Gogoi, staunchly backed Tarun Gogoi. This alliance decisively tipped the scales in favour of the senior Gogoi, sidelining Sarma’s aspirations.

Also Read: I have sympathy for Gaurav Gogoi: Himanta Biswa Sarma on Congress MP's wife's controversy

Sarma never saw Gaurav Gogoi as a political threat to his own standing. In his view, Gaurav’s identity was inseparable from being Tarun Gogoi’s son—a legacy that, while granting him entry into politics, would not carry him far. Compounding this was Gaurav’s weak command of Assamese and his aloof demeanour, both with party colleagues and the public. His interactions bore a distinct air of entitlement, though whether this was a conscious trait or simply a byproduct of his limited exposure to Assam remained unclear. Many believe he continues to grapple with this perception even today.

Gaurav Gogoi’s proximity to Rahul Gandhi and his entry into the Lok Sabha in 2014—when the Congress was reduced to just 44 seats and many of its stalwarts had been wiped out—proved to be a turning point for him. With few voices left to represent the party, he found an opportunity to carve out a space for himself. His fluency in English and Hindi, a rarity among parliamentarians from the Northeast, gave him an edge, earning him visibility both in the lower house and in the media. To his credit, he spoke with clarity and composure, steering clear of strident rhetoric—an approach that enhanced his political stature, nationally and in Assam, particularly among the youth. Despite occasional gaffes in Assamese, he remained a prominent emerging face from the Northeast, effectively mainstreamed by both the Congress and the media.

Gaurav Gogoi’s political ascent continued after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as the Congress made only a marginal recovery, increasing its tally from 44 to 52. Yet, he managed to seize the spotlight and use it to his advantage, navigating cautiously within the party framework and avoiding missteps. His stature grew further when the Manipur ethnic violence became a national issue, amplifying his legislative contributions. His speeches in the Lok Sabha—measured, substantive, and articulate—were widely circulated across Assam and the Northeast, earning him a strong following among young voters.

In a region where parliamentarians rarely break into the national discourse, Gaurav stood out. His reserved demeanour in private settings was overshadowed by his strong public performance. With Rahul Gandhi’s patronage further cementing his rise, he outpaced senior Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari to be appointed deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, a significant feather in his political cap.

Then came the delimitation exercise in Assam, which redrew geographical boundaries of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies and erased Gaurav Gogoi’s traditional stronghold,  Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency. Many saw this as the end of his electoral journey, as his past victories were largely credited to the strong Muslim voter base in the constituency. Forced to shift to Jorhat, his hometown, Gaurav should have found familiar ground in an Ahom-majority seat. However, the Congress’s recent electoral performances in the region had been uninspiring, and his opponent, incumbent MP Tapan Gogoi, was an Ahom as well.

There was another challenge. The tea tribe voters, once a reliable Congress support base, had largely drifted to the BJP. But the most formidable hurdle was Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was determined to ensure Gaurav’s defeat. The animosity between the two had intensified just months earlier, when they locked horns in a heated social media battle over allegations of irregularities in the allocation of agricultural land to the chief minister’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, for an industrial project. The exchange turned increasingly caustic, but by most neutral assessments, Gaurav emerged the winner—not necessarily on facts, but by maintaining a sense of decorum in the public debate.

More significantly, Sarma, whether intentionally or not, ended up amplifying Gaurav’s political stature by engaging with him directly on social media. The episode not only underscored Gaurav’s ability to get under the chief minister’s skin but also positioned him as a credible challenger in Assam’s evolving political landscape.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Sarma made it his personal mission to defeat Gaurav Gogoi. Nearly his entire ministry was deployed against Gaurav, with the chief minister himself leading the charge. The relentless assault was so intense that Gaurav began to appear less like a political contender and more like a victim of a carefully orchestrated takedown—first through delimitation, which erased his constituency, and then through an all-out campaign against him, reminiscent of Abhimanyu’s entrapment in the Mahabharata.

Sensing the odds stacked against him, Gaurav took a strategic approach. He kept his campaign understated, avoiding ostentatious displays of wealth and power. The stark contrast between his modest outreach and the BJP’s full-throttle offensive made it seem like an uneven contest—David versus Goliath. And just like in the legend, the underdog triumphed. Gaurav secured a decisive victory, shattering the aura of electoral invincibility that had surrounded Sarma. Though Sarma himself was not on the ballot, this was the first major political battle in which he had thrown his full weight and yet lost. It was a rare moment of vulnerability for Assam’s most formidable politician.

On paper, Gaurav Gogoi’s victory added just one more seat to the Congress’s Lok Sabha tally, securing his third consecutive term at a time when the party still could not reach the three-figure mark. But in Assam, the significance of his win was far greater—it established him as the principal challenger to Himanta Biswa Sarma. Even his father, the late Tarun Gogoi, had struggled to counter Sarma’s meteoric rise. The senior Gogoi had managed to remain chief minister largely due to Rahul Gandhi’s backing, rather than through political dominance. In contrast, Gaurav’s victory in Jorhat was entirely his own. This was no longer the son riding on his father’s legacy. With this win, he emerged as the undisputed face of the Congress in Assam.

Nearly a year later, Sarma has reinforced Gaurav Gogoi’s stature as his primary challenger—ironically, by going on the offensive. His relentless attacks on Gaurav and his wife may be partly driven by personal hurt, a payback for Gaurav’s earlier targeting of Sarma’s wife. But rarely in Indian politics has a chief minister unleashed such sustained aggression against an Opposition leader so junior in both age and experience. In doing so, Sarma has inadvertently acknowledged what he may not say outright—that he considers Gaurav a credible threat.

Even against Tarun Gogoi, Sarma was never this combative. The irony deepens when one considers his approach: a constitutional officeholder making allegations first and launching an investigation later. What happens if, tomorrow, his police find no conclusive evidence against Gaurav and his wife? Where does that leave the chief minister? An Opposition leader or an activist can afford to make claims, but someone in constitutional authority is expected to establish facts first and speak later—not the other way around.

That said, the allegations cannot be dismissed outright. Gaurav Gogoi has both the right to defend himself and the responsibility to present a clear and transparent account before the people of Assam. In this escalating political duel, the larger concern transcends individual reputations—the voters in Assam, and indeed the people of India, deserve the truth, especially given the gravity of allegations linked to national security. This is not a matter that should be reduced to political gamesmanship. Both sides must resist the temptation to exploit it for partisan gains and let facts, not rhetoric, dictate the course of action.

Regardless of how this political battle unfolds, Gaurav Gogoi owes a debt of gratitude to Himanta Biswa Sarma. Years ago, Tarun Gogoi had hoped Sarma would mentor his son and teach him the intricacies of politics. In an unintended twist, Sarma has done just that. By targeting Gaurav with such intensity, he has not only shaped his political journey but also fortified his stature. What began as a foundation laid by inheritance is now being reinforced, brick by brick, by none other than his fiercest rival.