In the backdrop of Congress leaders blaming “beef” for the party’s defeat in the Samaguri Assembly by-election, the Assam government on Wednesday banned its consumption in public places. In an interview with The Indian Express, Gaurav Gogoi, deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and MP from Jorhat, reflects on the state government’s decision, his party’s defeat in the assembly by-elections, the Congress’ relationship with its Bharat Bloc constituents and its strategy in Parliament, among others. Other issues. Excerpts:
Lok Sabha results cannot be compared to state elections. During the Lok Sabha elections, people had to decide whether they wanted the BJP to cross 400 and give more power to the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). They were worried about the growing influence of the BJP and the Prime Minister. So, they gave that verdict (which reduced BJP to 240 seats). Even if national elections are held today, they will give the same message.
On the other hand, state elections were fought on local and state issues in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. We won two of the four states as part of the India Block. Of course, the results in Haryana and Maharashtra are a shock, but we have no choice but to move on.
After the assembly results, some voices within the Bharat bloc have questioned the Congress’ opposition leadership claim. Do you think unity will be an issue in the future?
See, elections are held in a very heated and competitive environment where even allies compete with each other. Therefore, there are bound statements. But look at Parliament, where we are passionately taking up people’s issues. A creative environment has a strong sense of togetherness. People are seeing that. Please note that the alliance won in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
But even in Parliament, some of the Indian bloc partners are not on board about the obstruction in the Gautam Adani case. Do you think Congress has pushed too much?
The Congress is raising Adani, Manipur, China, Bangladesh, Sambhal and air pollution in Delhi-NCR – all important issues in Parliament. We highlighted these issues in the floor leaders meeting of India Bloc Party. It is useless to say that the Congress is only talking about one issue, especially when the government is on the backfoot.
Some Indian bloc members also have problems with the new seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has accused the Congress of not giving good seats to its MPs. Should the Congress rethink its approach to Parliament?
I think the Indian section has not been given its due share in Parliament. On the basis of pure numbers, the coalition should have chaired more House panels. Only the numbers of SP, Congress and DMK were considered while smaller parties were ignored. We have continuously struggled and negotiated with the government on this issue.
Regarding the seats, we were told in the budget session that the India group would get seven seats in the front row but two days before the seats were announced, it was reduced to six seats. The government has done injustice on all sides.
But some alliance blames Congress…
The Congress has been advocating the chairmanship of the committee for all alliances with a single MP. We have also talked about giving them proper time (to speak in the assembly). We have been fighting for the members of the India bloc and have accommodated them as well. They can share their concerns, if any, with us.
Speaking of your home state of Assam, the Congress vacated five assembly seats in the state in the recent by-elections, including its stronghold of Samguri. What do you think were the reasons?
In the recent by-elections in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, police machinery was misused to target opposition legislators. In Samaguri, cars of (former Congress) MLAs were vandalized by BJP supporters in front of the police. Police were threatening voters in Uttar Pradesh. They have played the role of party workers everywhere. As this created an atmosphere of fear, the Election Commission became a silent spectator. The by-election was unfair and violated the fundamental rights of the people.
In Assam, the BJP concentrated so much on Samguri that its vote share in other seats declined. They (BJP) performed poorly in seats where they had performed well in the Lok Sabha elections only six months ago.
Ahead of the by-election, the Congress withdrew from the regional opposition alliance, the Assam Sonmilito Morcha, against the wishes of the state leadership. Do you think it was a mistake?
In the by-elections, whether BJP or Congress, we fought separately. Voters have also understood that the parties are trying to increase their presence in the by-elections. In terms of Behali, where our allies wanted to contest elections, our votes have increased. We will talk to our partners and how we can proceed.
After senior Congress leaders accused Chief Minister Himanta Vishwa Sharma and the BJP of ‘offering beef to chase Bengali Muslim voters in Samaguri’, the Assam government has banned beef in the state. What is your position?
Sarma has bankrupted the state and so two big decisions – renaming of big towns and cities, and beef ban – which cost no money, have been taken. There is no money to build roads, colleges, bridges, hospitals. By doing all this, will the people get jobs and salaries or will their health improve? The people of Assam have understood.
After the people of Jorhat defeated his politics, the people of Jharkhand rejected Sarma’s politics. Now the people of India have learned their lesson. The Chief Minister’s corrupt leadership, abuse of power and concentration of wealth in the hands of his family and close ministers have not gone unnoticed. This will be evident in the Assembly elections, which are only a year away.