“Eh Baad Diyahe…”— Gaurav Decries CM Sarma In Former CM Tarun Gogoi’s Style

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday launched a blistering attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of arrogance, administrative high-handedness and systematic neglect of government employees.

Addressing a press conference during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, Gogoi said, “There is no Chief Minister in India as arrogant as Himanta Biswa Sarma. He treats government employees as if they are his personal property and considers threatening them more important than meeting their legitimate demands.”

Citing recent actions of the state government, Gogoi alleged that around 500 employees of the 108 ambulance service were removed in a single day and that National Health Mission (NHM) employees, who worked tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been left abandoned. He said that when these workers demanded their long-pending dues, the government responded not with dialogue but with salary cuts, pushing the health sector into crisis.

He further claimed that employees under the Education Department and Panchayat and Rural Development Department are also being deprived of their rightful benefits. “The government spends crores on cultural programmes, but makes excuses when it comes to paying salaries or clearing dues,” he added.

Gogoi also trained his guns on the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Assam, calling it a “mockery”. He claimed that bills worth ₹4,500 crore remain unpaid and that nearly 9,000 contractors have approached him seeking intervention. “Only those close to BJP ministers and MLAs have received partial payments. Others, who took loans to complete projects, are suffering. Two contractors have even been pushed to the verge of suicide,” he alleged.

Questioning the functioning of the state cabinet, Gogoi remarked, “In Assam today, there is effectively only one minister for every department, and that is the Chief Minister. He holds all meetings, conducts all reviews, and addresses every press briefing. It appears other ministers have no role to play.”

He also accused the Chief Minister of intimidating not just government officials, but also police personnel, teachers, and journalists.

Responding to a query about an AIUDF MLA claiming his party was aligned with the BJP, Gogoi said, “There has always been a secret understanding between the Ajmal camp and the BJP. Now it is coming out in the open.”

Reacting to the Chief Minister’s recent remarks and personal comments, Gogoi dismissed them with a smile, recalling his late father and former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s famous line: “Eh, baad diyahe!” He alleged that the CM is increasingly isolated and politically unstable and claimed that such remarks only expose his growing unease.

“No government can function properly by neglecting and oppressing its own employees. If the Chief Minister truly wants to serve the people, he must first respect and protect the rights of government workers,” Gogoi concluded.

Also Read: Assam CM's Arrogance Exposed: Gaurav Gogoi Blasts Government Neglect