Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President and Lok Sabha Deputy Leader of Opposition Gaurav Gogoi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day visit to Assam. Gogoi said that the Prime Minister’s performance in Assam and the wider Northeast over the last decade has been “extremely poor”. His comments covered sectors such as industrial development, employment opportunities, and tackling unemployment.
Speaking with journalists in Majuli, Gogoi said that the BJP government at the Centre and the BJP government in Assam have systematically weakened public sector undertakings. He referred to the closure of paper mills in the state and pointed out that the second unit of the Namrup fertiliser plant was closed in 2020. He also mentioned delays in commissioning the fourth unit of the project. Gogoi claimed that several government tea gardens under the Assam Tea Corporation were handed over for sale.
He criticised the government for announcing new projects while shutting existing ones. He pointed to the semiconductor project at Jagiroad and said that the project came at the cost of closing a functional paper mill. According to him, true development should include maintaining existing industries while creating new industries at new sites. 
Gogoi alleged that benefits from government policies now reach only a small group close to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. He said that several projects have gone to a few business houses and that this has led to monopolies in different sectors.
Gogoi also spoke about cultural and political issues. He accused the Chief Minister of trying to divert public attention by targeting cultural icon Zubeen Garg. Gogoi said that attempts were made to tarnish the late singer’s image because Zubeen had opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He alleged that the government used police pressure on supporters of Garg and even on members of the singer’s family.
On foreign policy, Gogoi criticised the Modi government over the recent lynching of a Hindu youth, Dipu Chandra Das, in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. He said that India’s neighbourhood policy has weakened and claimed that neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Maldives, and Sri Lanka are drifting away from India.
During his interaction, Gogoi demanded the release of a white paper on central funds allocated for addressing floods and erosion in Assam. He said such disclosure would help the public compare the present government’s work with that done during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance era under Dr Manmohan Singh. Gogoi highlighted past achievements like granting national project status to the Bogibeel Bridge.
With Assembly elections approaching, Gogoi said that people will give a suitable response through voting. He said that the Congress party’s outreach programme, ‘Raijor Padulit Raijor Congress’, will take their vision to different communities. The party promises quality higher education, a healthy village environment, measures against drug abuse, and new rural sports facilities.
