Guwahati (Assam) [India], November 23 : On the fifth death anniversary of Padma Bhushan Tarun Gogoi, former Chief Minister of Assam, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) paid homage across the state on Sunday.
Congress workers in all 35 district headquarters lit lamps and offered floral tributes to honour the late Chief Minister, who transformed the economic foundation of Assam, according to a release.
At Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati, lamps were lit, floral tributes were offered, and a memorial meeting was held to mark the occasion. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia lit a ceremonial lamp and paid homage to the great leader, stating that Tarun Gogoi's contribution was invaluable in pulling Assam out of a deteriorated law-and-order situation and widespread anarchy and in building it into a stable and development-orientated economy.
He said that Gogoi rescued the state from a terrifying period marked by secret killings, severe unemployment, and an administrative crisis where even the salaries of government employees could not be paid. Calling Tarun Gogoi the sentinel of development and a symbol of integrity, Saikia added that the late Chief Minister's patriotism was unwavering and selfless, the release stated.
Former colleague Pronoy Rabha recalled that as Chief Minister, Gogoi was a corruption-free and clean leader. He mentioned that Gogoi regularly reviewed the performance of ministers, warned them against irregularities, and never allowed any unethical practices.
Senior Congress leader Balika Lahan Pegoo also shared memories of the late leader. APCC General Secretary Bipul Gogoi coordinated the event and highlighted the achievements of Tarun Gogoi during his 15-year tenure as Chief Minister. He stated that Gogoi's efforts led to significant growth in Assam's GDP and the filling of over 90,000 vacant government posts, along with the creation of nearly 1,20,000 new positions.
One of Gogoi's notable successes was the replacement of numerous dilapidated wooden bridges with thousands of concrete bridges, greatly improving connectivity across Assam. For financial stability, Gogoi introduced legislative measures ensuring timely utilisation of funds allocated in the budget, which paved the way for Assam's overall development.
He further stated that Gogoi ensured that salaries of state government employees were paid from state revenues by shifting several posts from the Central Plan to the State Plan category, the release added.
Among those present at the tribute programme were MLAs Khalil Uddin Mazumdar and Shivamani Bora; General Secretary Pradyut Bhuyan; Udit Bhanu Das; Media Department Chairperson Bedabrata Bora; Social Media Department Chairperson Prafulla Kumar Das; Guwahati City District Congress President Swapan Das; senior Congress leaders Mehdi Alam Bora, Gopal Sharma, Rupak Das, Rupa Deori, and Mayuri Dutta; and over a hundred other leaders and workers.