Skip to content Skip to navigation

Barpeta Blunder: Will Rahul-Gogoi pay heavy price?

By Bg Gogoi |

Never did Rahul Gandhi think that his statement targetting BJP and RSS would run into a hail of anger across Assam after the Barpeta monastery controversy. But it has happened. That too four months before the assembly polls where his party pins hopes on four consecutive term with Tarun Gogoi as Chief Minister.

The simmering anger started bursting in the Vaishavite town as soon as the Congress vice president named RSS alleging to have faced hurdle to visit the monastery before an end to his two days visit to Assam. With this statement, Gandhi was trying to justify Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's accusation against RSS and BJP.  

Basistha Deba Sarma, the head of the 16 century monastery straightly denied any presence of political elements inside it. " It is a religious place only meant for religious and cultural activities. Where Rahul Gandhi and Tarun Gogoi saw any political connection? It is unfortunate," said Deba Sarma.

He further said that the ancient site of Vaishnavite culture should not be dragged in to a paralyzing political controversy.

Taking on the Congress vice president who claimed to have faced hurdle in his entry by some women, the monastery head had simple clarification. According to him, the women visit the Xatra twice. "They were waiting to see the scion of the Nahru-Gandhi family from a  close range. What wrong goes with them?," said the septuagenarian.

BJP was quick to react. Newly inducted BJP leader Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Gandhi and Gogoi of misleading the people with utter falsehood. "Let Rahul Gandhi kneel down before the nation to tender apology for it," said Dr Sarma who has been targetting the chief minister and the Congress vice president since he shifted his loyalty.

But Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi sticks to his stand on the presence of RSS in the monastery. He claimed to have possessed some intelligence inputs to substantiate his allegations. But these have failed to convince the people who hate interlinking of religion with politics.

Notably, Gandhi on Saturday visited the monastery just before leaving back to New Delhi. Initially, he had no schedule to visit there on the way to take the lead of a harmony march at a 7km road near the town. But in response to the wishes of the local Vaishnavs, he halted there for 10 minutes.

Political analysts say that the entire episode will do more harm than good for the ruling party. How Gogoi will refurbish the image just 4 months before the polls? 

Author info

Bg Gogoi's picture

Journalist, Coder, Traveler. Facebook: https://facebook.com/gogoi
  • 5284 reads

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

A Week of Music That Touched My Soul: Lou Majaw, Peso Pluma & Bhupen Hazarika

This week, I’ve been swept away by three songs from very different worlds—but each one touched something deep inside me. They tell stories of life, struggle, hope, and joy in their own unique ways. And I want to share how these songs became a part of my own story. Rose in My Garden — Lou Majaw’s New Video, A Dream Finally Realized The highlight of my week—and honestly, a moment I’ve been waiting for—is the official music video release of Rose in My Garden by Lou Majaw, my all-time favourite musician and a true living legend of Northeast India’s rock scene. Written back in 1993 on a lazy summer afternoon in Shillong, this song has been a quiet companion in my life for years. But...

Indigenous Communities protest against Land Grab Conspiracy

A massive protest was held in the Boroduar Bagan region of the Goalpara district, where Indigenous communities came together to assert their rights over land they have long inhabited. With banners stating "The land belongs to those who occupy it—first give us the land, then give it to the traders," local men and women from various tribal communities rallied to protect their ancestral land from external forces trying to seize it. Since early morning, Indigenous people from far-flung villages have gathered to resist the threat of losing the land they have occupied for decades. Amid growing fears of displacement, many workers, shopkeepers, and farmers have left their fields to join the...

Assam Leopards: Habitat Loss Fuels Conflict, Community Program Pushes Coexistence

Assam, one of India’s seven biodiversity rich northeastern states, presents a landscape of lush evergreen forests and grasslands that is home to a great diversity of species including many of the rare cat species. Of the magnificent felines--while the tiger enjoys the lion share of all conservation efforts--the leopard however, continues to remain neglected. A Scheduled I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the survival of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Assam is under threat due to an expanding human population and accompanying development and habitat fragmentation.  “...

Anjali's Book: A Guwahati Tale

Anjali is my friend. She lived in Guwahati for nearly three years. I didn't know she was researching this book! I love to read books. Recently, I read her book, "Keeping in Touch." It's a love story set in today's world. The story is about Keteki, a designer, and Ved, a businessperson. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. The story begins with Keteki and Ved meeting at an airport. Ved is going to Assam to see a special lightbulb factory. Keteki is coming back home to Guwahati after an art show in London. Their chance meeting leads to a love story that goes beyond borders and takes them on adventures in Assam and other places. What I liked about "Keeping in Touch" is how Anjali...

Aspiration of Assamese students on the rise

During the Covid-19, a few brave Assamese boys and girls sailed offshore in search of their destiny, braving heavy odds like the lack of flights, lack of appointments for visas and uncertainty in foreign land. In the most unprecedented times in the history of mankind, now when the world goes through spells of complete lockdown, the youth were clueless about how to deal with this situation. Nevertheless, some brave-hearts embraced challenges with the right spirit and converted them to opportunities. Dewang Rajkakati is one of them. He left India during the height of the Corona Pandemic in December 2020 after completing B Tech from SRM University. He studied MS from the State...

Encounter claims life in Kokrajhar

KOKRAJHAR: An encounter incident took place in the Ultapani forest area along the Indo-Bhutan border area of Kokrajhar district on Thursday night that reportedly killed a person who was allegedly involved with extremist activities recently in Chirang district. The deceased was identified as Sanjula Wary, 26, of the Sapkata area of the Gossaigaon subdivision. Police arrested Sanjula Wary(26) of Kashiabari Dulagaon under Gossaigaon police station on Thursday. as per police, he was earlier a member of the NLFB Udalguri camp and had formed an extremist gang of about 10-15 members who were personally involved in the recent dacoity and firing incident at Bithani village under Amteka in...

Govt downplays allegations of encounter-raj

Guwahati: An orgy of "encounters" triggered no less uproar in the state assembly on Monday, where the government denied any such case of an encounter by police. According to the government, there is nothing new in a few incidents of deaths of criminals in police firing in the state. Opposition legislators alleged a mysterious rise in the number of deaths in police firings since the new government was installed in Dispur. Senior minister Piyush Hazarika tried to pacify the legislators by saying that there is no such word as "encounter" in the Assam police manual. He said that police can’t remain idle if a criminal tries to flee from custody.  “It was during the erstwhile...

APCC demands CBI investigation into Kokrajhar encounter killing

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has demands CBI to investigate the recent encounter where two Bodo youths lost their lives in Kokrajhar district at the Lungsung area. Speaking to the media at Kokrajhar, APCC senior spokesperson Gorjon Mushahary charged the state government with creating a chaotic environment in Bodoland Territorial Region districts by misguiding the administration. The congress party demands CBI investigation into the encounter in Ultapani forest area and punishment of the responsible parties, as...

Lovlina Borgohain confirms an Olympic medal

Lovlina Borgohain, the Women's boxer from Assam, defeated Chen of Chinese Taipei 4-1 to assure a second Tokyo Olympic medal for India on Friday. She will play against Turkish boxer Busenaz SURMENELI in the Semifinals August 4. Watch video of winning moments: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=813783922615822

Lovlina enters quarter finals in Tokyo 2020

Lovlina BORGOHAIN advances to quarters in the Women's Welter (64-69kg) beating Germany's Nadine APETZ in the Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday. She will play Nien-Chin CHEN of Taipei on July 30.