Sivasagar MLA rejects ‘personal ambition’ charge, accuses Gohain of a Congress-centric approach to opposition unity
Guwahati: Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi has hit back at noted intellectual Dr Hiren Gohain, rejecting what he called a “personalised” and “biased” assessment of his political career and the party’s role in Assam’s opposition politics.
In a five-page letter dated September 9, Gogoi defended Raijor Dal’s decision to remain an independent regional force and rejected Gohain’s portrayal of his political choices as driven by personal ambition. He cited nearly 25 years of activism, farmers’ movements, imprisonment and alleged state persecution.
Gogoi also defended the party’s demand for electoral space, saying it was essential to its political survival and identity. His response comes days after Congress ended its alliance with Raijor Dal, accusing it of violating alliance norms and engaging in “malicious propaganda”.
Gogoi accused Gohain of being overly dependent on Congress for opposition unity and alleged that the party’s electoral failures, delayed alliance-building and organisational weaknesses had been overlooked while Raijor Dal was made the “villain”. These remain Gogoi’s political allegations.
The Sivasagar MLA rejected suggestions that criticising Congress meant supporting the BJP or RSS, saying Raijor Dal had consistently opposed their politics. He argued that Congress could be a partner in the anti-BJP struggle but “not its leader”.
Gogoi also outlined Raijor Dal’s alternative agenda, centred on year-round agriculture and MSP, village industries and employment, stronger urban supply chains, skill development and dignified jobs, expanded markets, and greater federal rights and autonomy for Assam.
Challenging Gohain’s comparison between his politics and Himanta Biswa Sarma’s rise, Gogoi asked how the party’s six-point programme could make him politically similar to the Assam chief minister.
