Guwahati, Jan 6: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 6 launched a sharp verbal attack on Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi, downplaying his statements and suggesting that his social media appearances and press conferences should be treated as entertainment rather than serious political discourse. Addressing a public programme in Bokakhat, Sarma remarked that people could watch Gogoi’s Facebook Live sessions for relaxation, likening them to listening to music after a tiring day.
The Chief Minister made the comments while distributing cheques under the Chief Minister’s Women Entrepreneurship (Udhyamita) Scheme in the Bokakhat Assembly constituency. His remarks came in the backdrop of allegations levelled by Gogoi a day earlier, accusing the BJP leadership of plotting to manipulate the ongoing Special Revision of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
In a Facebook Live interaction on January 5, the Sivasagar MLA had claimed that he came across a video conference held on January 4 involving Assam BJP state president Dilip Saikia, ministers, MLAs and party leaders. Gogoi alleged that although the meeting was officially convened to discuss a wall-writing campaign, it also included discussions on voter lists. He said the contents of the meeting had left him disturbed, claiming he heard the conversation firsthand.
According to Gogoi, instructions were allegedly issued during the meeting to minister Ashok Singhal to supervise voter list “corrections” in around 60 Assembly constituencies, with the intent of removing names of voters perceived as unsupportive of the BJP. He further alleged that party leaders at various levels were asked to submit booth-wise lists of such voters by January 12, calling the alleged move an attempt to engineer electoral rolls for political gain. Gogoi challenged the Chief Minister to make the video of the meeting public if his claims were false.
Responding indirectly in Bokakhat, Sarma brushed aside the allegations and also made light remarks about election season, stating that minor clashes and incidents are a routine part of polls. He quipped that without such disturbances, people might not even realise that elections were approaching.
During his address, the Chief Minister also highlighted several government initiatives, including welfare schemes such as Udhyamita and Orunodoi, ongoing land encroachment drives, conservation efforts in Kaziranga National Park, and issues related to alleged attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh. His comments signalled a continued political sparring between the ruling BJP and opposition voices as the state heads towards the 2026 Assembly elections.
