By Dalim Phukan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guwahati\/Assam ,Aug 26 : Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi claimed that nearly one lakh people gathered at the Boarding Field in Sivasagar yesterday for a rally organised under his leadership. Addressing a press conference at the BJP Assam Pradesh office yesterday BJP spokesperson Dr. Devajit Mahanta raised a series of questions regarding the rally and urged Akhil Gogoi to provide answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mahanta questioned how Akhil Gogoi, who has been appealing to people across the country and abroad for donations to support flood-affected people, managed to mobilise funds to organise such a large political gathering. According to Akhil Gogoi\u2019s own statements, flood-affected people in Sivasagar are struggling even for food. In such circumstances, Dr. Mahanta asked, is it plausible that flood-affected families would have contributed financially towards organising a political rally?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further questioned whether the Rs 1 crore reportedly spent by Raijor Dal on the rally came from funds donated by people in India and abroad specifically for flood relief. If the money was indeed drawn from relief funds, would that not amount to a betrayal of the trust placed by the donors? Dr. Mahanta said that instead of spending money on a political gathering, the funds could have been used directly for the relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected families. Similarly, the people mobilised for the rally could have contributed their time and labour towards relief operations in the affected areas. He also questioned the composition of the gathering, stating that people genuinely affected by the floods would naturally be occupied with protecting their homes, restoring their livelihoods and rebuilding their lives rather than attending political rallies. According to information available to the BJP, Raijor Dal allegedly brought people by buses from several districts outside Sivasagar, many of whom were not themselves flood-affected. Dr. Mahanta reiterated that this is not the time for political mobilisation or political point-scoring. It is a time to stand with flood-affected families and extend every possible helping hand to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mahanta also highlighted what he described as contradictory statements made by Akhil Gogoi regarding Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma\u2019s visit to the flood-affected areas of Sivasagar. During the Chief Minister\u2019s visit, Akhil Gogoi himself had publicly stated: \u201cI have never seen a Chief Minister who would jump into such deep water. This is a very big thing; I must give the Chief Minister credit.\u201d However, Dr. Mahanta pointed out that Akhil Gogoi subsequently made a completely different statement in the media, saying: \u201cI deliberately took the Chief Minister into deep water. I made the Chief Minister enter the water and watched his reaction.\u201d Referring to these statements, Dr. Mahanta questioned Akhil Gogoi\u2019s intentions and asked whether he had deliberately taken the Chief Minister into deep water with the intention of putting his life at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mahanta also condemned what he described as Akhil Gogoi\u2019s inappropriate conduct, including his alleged behaviour towards the Sivasagar Commissioner and his repeated remarks at public meetings such as, \u201cI told Himanta,\u201d \u201cI made Himanta enter the water,\u201d and \u201cI made Himanta enter the water and watched his reaction.\u201d Dr. Mahanta questioned whether such language and conduct are befitting of an elected representative. He further recalled an incident from 2015, when Akhil Gogoi was serving as president of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and allegedly misbehaved with officials at the Power Grid Corporation office, including threatening to slap a Power Grid manager. Dr. Mahanta stated that such conduct is completely unacceptable and that the Bharatiya Janata Party strongly condemns such behaviour. He also cautioned Akhil Gogoi against exploiting the suffering of flood-affected people for political purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mahanta also criticised Akhil Gogoi for administering an oath at the Sivasagar Boarding rally urging people not to repay their bank loan instalments, stating that the move appeared to be aimed at gaining political applause. He pointed out that Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma had already announced at a press conference on August 7 that flood-affected families in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Golaghat and Jorhat would be exempt from paying loan instalments for six months, beginning July 19. Against this backdrop, Dr. Mahanta questioned the necessity of Akhil Gogoi administering an oath at the Boarding rally asking people not to repay their loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Mahanta also addressed the claims made by Akhil Gogoi following the unprecedented floods that affected Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat on July 19. At a press conference, Akhil Gogoi had attributed the floods to water allegedly released from the Dikhow Hydroelectric Project in Mon district of Nagaland, as well as illegal coal mining in the Naginimara area. Dr. Mahanta stated that there is no hydropower project in Mon district, and therefore described the claim that water had been released from a hydropower project there as completely baseless. On the issue of illegal coal mining, Dr. Mahanta referred to a viral audio clip allegedly involving Raijor Dal spokesperson Manas Konwar and claimed that it indicates the party\u2019s involvement in illegal coal mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concluding the press conference, Dr. Mahanta issued a strong message to Akhil Gogoi and Raijor Dal: this is the time to stand beside flood-affected people, support their recovery and extend a helping hand, not to politicise their suffering. He warned that if Raijor Dal continues to use the plight of flood-affected people for political purposes, the party may have to face public backlash in the days ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Dalim Phukan Guwahati\/Assam ,Aug 26 : Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi claimed that nearly one lakh people gathered at the Boarding Field in Sivasagar yesterday for a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6019,23495],"class_list":["post-155127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories","tag-assam","tag-guwahati"],"yoast_head":"\n