Tarun Gogoi | |
|---|---|
 Gogoi in 2014 | |
| 13thChief Minister of Assam | |
| In office 18 May 2001[1] – 24 May 2016 | |
| Governor | Srinivas Kumar Sinha Arvind Dave Ajai Singh Shiv Charan Mathur K. Sankaranarayanan Syed Sibtey Razi Janaki Ballabh Patnaik Padmanabha Acharya |
| Preceded by | Prafulla Kumar Mahanta |
| Succeeded by | Sarbananda Sonowal |
| Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food Processing Industries,Government of India | |
| In office 17 January1993 – 13 September 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Preceded by | Giridhar Gamang |
| Succeeded by | Kamakhya Prasad Singh Deo |
| Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
| In office 10 March 1998 – 13 May 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Keshab Mahanta |
| Succeeded by | Dip Gogoi |
| Constituency | Kaliabor |
| In office 1991–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Bhadreswar Tanti |
| Succeeded by | Keshab Mahanta |
| Constituency | Kaliabor |
| In office 1971–1984 | |
| Preceded by | Rajendranath Barua |
| Succeeded by | Parag Chaliha |
| Constituency | Jorhat |
| Member ofAssam Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 20 September 2001 – 23 November 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Dip Gogoi |
| Succeeded by | Bhaskar Jyoti Baruah |
| Constituency | Titabar |
| In office 10 May 1996 – 28 February 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Kul Bahadur Chetri |
| Succeeded by | Pradyut Bordoloi |
| Constituency | Margherita |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1936-04-01)1 April 1936[2] |
| Died | 23 November 2020(2020-11-23) (aged 84) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Relatives | Ganesh Gogoi (maternal uncle) Dip Gogoi (brother) |
| Alma mater | Gauhati University (LLB) |
| Occupation |
|
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2021; posthumous) |
| Website | assamassembly |
| Source: [Government of Assam] | |
Tarun Gogoi (1 April 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 13thChief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was the longest serving Chief Minister of Assam. He was a member of theIndian National Congress. During his tenure as the chief minister, he is credited with endingmilitant insurgency and mitigating violence in addition to improving the state's fiscal condition.
He was a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly from 2001 to until his death in 2020 from Titabar constituency and from Margherita constituency from 1996 to 1998. He was the member of Lok Sabha representing Kaliabor from 1991 to 1996 and again from 1998 to 2001 and Jorhat constituency from 1971 to 1984. He was also Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food and Processing Industries in theP. V. Narasimha Rao ministry from 1993 to 1995. He was posthumously awarded thePadma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, in 2021.[3][4]
Tarun Gogoi was born on 1 April 1936[2] into an ethnic AssameseTai-Ahom family at Rangajan Tea Estate,[5][6] erstwhile Sibsagar District, now theJorhat District of Assam.[7][8]
His father, Kamaleshwar Gogoi[8] was a medical practitioner at Rangajan Tea Estate.[8] His mother, Usha Gogoi, was the younger sister of theAssamese poetGanesh Gogoi.[8] He is the elder brother ofDip Gogoi, who also served asMember of Parliament forKaliabor and Member ofAssam Legislstive Assembly forTitabar.[9][10]
He began his primary education at No. 26 Rangajan Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya (lower foundation school), before moving on to Jorhat Madrassa School (through class IV), and Bholaguri High School (through class VI). He passed hisHigher Secondary School Certificate (HSLC) exam from theJorhat Government High School, before graduating from theJagannath Barooah College. He obtained hisBachelor of Laws (LLB) degree fromGauhati University.[11][12]
Gogoi started his political career as a member of the municipal board at Jorhat in 1968 before being elected to theFifth Lok Sabha in 1971 fromJorhat. He represented Jorhat in Lok Sabha through the next two terms until 1985.[13] He representedKaliabor in theTenth Lok Sabha between 1991 and 1996, and theTwelfth andThirteenth Lok Sabha between 1998 and 2001. He quit the Thirteenth Lok Sabha, mid-term, to assume office as theChief Minister of Assam in 2001, serving a total of six terms as amember of parliament.[13][12]
During his second term in the Lok Sabha, he was elected as the Joint Secretary of theAll India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1976 under Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi.[14] He later served as the General Secretary of the AICC, from 1985 to 1990, under Prime MinisterRajiv Gandhi.[14] He served in theUnion Cabinet of India under Prime MinisterP. V. Narasimha Rao as theUnion Minister of State in theMinistry of Food Processing Industries between 1991 and 1996.[13] He was a member of the Committee on Government Assurances, Consultative Committee, Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Committee on External Affairs in the Tenth Lok Sabha.[12] In the Thirteenth Lok Sabha he was a member of the Committee on Railways.[15]
He served as the President of theAssam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) between 1986 and 1990,[13] before being appointed as the President again in 1996.[12] Through has state legislative career he served four terms as aMember of Legislative Assembly (MLA). He first represented the Margherita constituency between 1996 and 1998, and the Titabar constituency since 2001.[15]
Gogoi lead theIndian National Congress in the2001 Assam Legislative Assembly election,[15][12][16] with congress securing 70 seats in theAssembly. On 18 May 2001, Gogoi was unanimously elected leader of the Congress legislative party and was sworn in as theChief Minister of Assam. He succeeded theAsom Gana Parishad government led byPrafulla Kumar Mahanta. Gogoi was faced with the onerous task of bringing the state out of the morass of militant violence and financial instability characterised by a huge debt burden with even government employees not receiving their salaries on time. During the ministry self employment schemes to counter terrorism, the Police Commission for smooth functioning of administration of State, the Chief Vigilance Commission to prevent corruption and the right to information bill were all established.[17]
On 6 August 2003, a motion of no-confidence was filed against the ministry of Gogoi jointly byAGP,BJP andASDC.
Initiating the discussion,Brindaban Goswami said that the people of Assam had brought the Congress to power expecting a clean and transparent Government. But, the present Government had drowned into several corruption scandals. He also referred to the ethnic conflict between the Demasa-Hmar group and alleged that the law and order situation had worsened in the last two years. Consequently, innocent people had been killed. Opposition parties were not allowed to function freely and even the party office of BJP was ransacked by miscreants in broad daylight. He further alleged that the Government had not taken any steps for the detection and deportation of foreigners.
In his reply, Gogoi described all the allegations made against him and his Ministry as baseless. Gogoi said that the AGP had no right to criticise the present Government as they had ruined the socio-economic condition of State when it was in power. The present Government had tried to improve the conditions and had succeeded to some extent. The Central Government had sanctioned more funds to the State for rural development and the public distribution system. He gave a detailed description of the increase in the tax collection, revenue collection and per capita income and said the State was making progress on diverse fronts. The Government had been trying its best to prevent corruption. Regarding the law and order situation, he said the situation had returned to normal and an initiative had been taken for discussion with the Demasa-Hmar and other extremist groups.
The motion was debated on 8 August 2003 and was defeated by voice-vote.[17]
Gogoi again led Congress in the2006 Assam Legislative Assembly Election and Congress received 53 seats, 9 less than the 64 needed for a majority, Gogoi's initiative in this direction paid dividends with the Congress returning to power for the second consecutive term, albeit with lesser seats, and formed the government in alliance with its coalition partnerBodoland People's Front (BPF). During the ministry the law-and-order situation abruptly improved and the financial condition of the state improved. Gogoi gave importance to implementation of the schemes of the Central Government by different departments of the state. He also gave importance for industrialization of the state. He also took initiative to solve the insurgency problems ofAssam through negotiation.
In the2011 Assam Legislative Assembly election, Gogoi again led the congress party. Congress received 78 seats with an increased majority of 25 seats. Stemming from dissent within the party that saw 32 MLAs resign, he could not get theIndian National Congress to victory in the 2016 legislative assembly elections.[18]Sarbananda Sonowal from theBharatiya Janata Party went on to win the elections and become the chief minister.[19]
In his career as the chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi is credited with having brought the many militant outfits operating in the state including theUnited Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to the negotiating table and mitigating militant insurgency within the state. It is noted that when he started his tenure, militant insurgency was at the peak in the State with multiple bomb blasts in Guwahati triggered by ULFA, riots and violent demands for accession in theBodoland Territorial Region, and militant attacks on Hindi speakers.[20] By the time he ended his tenure as the chief minister, an improved law and order and a relatively violence-free tenure were considered his legacy.[18][21]
He is also credited with improving the state's fiscal position, getting the state out from close to bankruptcy, and engineering an economic turnaround in the implementation of various state government-led relief schemes, particularly for the rural areas.[18] His initiation of development projects in the state is credited with having stopped the flight of capital out of the state.[20]
Updating of theNational Register of Citizens for Assam began during his tenure as the chief minister.[20]
Gogoi was posthumously included in the list ofPadma Bhushan awardees, India's third-highest civilian honour, for 2021.[22]
Gogoi married Dolly Gogoi, a post-graduate in zoology fromGauhati University, on 30 July 1972. The couple have two children, a daughter, Chandrima Gogoi, anMBA,[18] and a son,Gaurav Gogoi, amember of parliament fromKaliabor. His son holds a degree inPublic administration from theNew York University.[23][24] His profile at the state legislature has him marked as a hobbyGolfer.[13]
Gogoi visited several countries in his lifetime, and by 2014 had made 18 official foreign trips since 2001. Countries Gogoi visited includedIndonesia,Singapore,Canada, theUK,Italy,Sri Lanka, theUS,China,Switzerland,France,Bhutan,Bangladesh,Spain,Belgium,South Korea,Japan,Vietnam andThailand.[25]
He had had multiple heart surgeries during the latter part of his second term as the chief minister, includingBypass surgery,Aortic valve replacement, and a procedure to artificially enlarge the aorta, at Mumbai'sAsian Heart Institute. He had an additional surgery just before the elections for his third term in 2011, to replace hisArtificial cardiac pacemaker.[18] Gogoi had gone on to lead his party to a third term victory, recovering from these health issues.[18]
Gogoi tested positive forCOVID-19 on 25 August 2020. He was admitted to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital on 26 August. On 31 August, after a sudden fall in oxygen saturation level, he was given ablood plasma transplant and was later stable.[26] On 16 September, Gogoi tested negative for COVID.[27][28] On 24 September, he was later readmitted to theICU following post-COVID-19 complications.[29][30][31]
On 25 October, Gogoi was discharged from hospital, though Health MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma stated his further treatment would continue at his official residence.[32][33] Gogoi was hospitalised again on 2 November after he complained of breathing problems the previous night and was immediately shifted to the ICU to put him on NIV because of high ammonia levels, a week after he had been discharged.[34][35][36]
On 21 November, Gogoi suffered a multi-organ failure and was ondialysis with hisblood pressure fluctuating, and was put on ventilator support.[37][38] His sonGaurav, along withChief Secretary Jishnu Barua rushed to visit him.[39] Gogoi's daughter, Chandrima arrived from theUS on 21 November inGuwahati and arrived atGMCH on 22 November to visit Gogoi.[40][41]
On 23 November 2020, at 5:34 PM, Gogoi was pronounced dead at theGauhati Medical College and Hospital due toCOVID-19 induced complications and multiple organ failure, aged 84.[42][43][44] His wife, Dolly, his son Gaurav and daughter Chandrima, were all at his side among other relatives.[43]
Many political figures and leaders including[45]Prime MinisterNarendra Modi,PresidentRam Nath Kovind,Vice PresidentVenkaiah Naidu,Rahul Gandhi,Congress PresidentSonia Gandhi, formerPrime MinisterManmohan Singh, Congress leader inRajya SabhaMallikarjun Kharge, Commerce ministerPiyush Goyal,[46]Home MinisterAmit Shah,Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman andDefence MinisterRajanath Singh all expressed condolences.[47] Former and incumbent chief ministers also paid tribute includingZoramthanga,[48]N. Biren Singh,Mamata Banerjee,B. S. Yediyurappa,Amarinder Singh,Arvind Kejriwal,Ashok Gehlot,[49]M. K. Stalin,[50]Akhilesh Yadav,[51]Sharad Pawar,[52]Shivraj Singh Chouhan,[53]Chief Minister of AssamSarbananda Sonowal andBhumidhar Barman. Many other politicians including MPs, state legislators and state ministers also offered their tributes.[54] In a statement,Chief MinisterSarbananda Sonowal said:[55]
"I am deeply saddened by the demise of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi. With his death, the state has lost an experienced, capable and efficient political leader. The people of Assam will always remember his committed service and contributions to the state. His sense of humour, amiable and outspoken nature attracted everyone. He set high ethical values in the field of politics with his simple life-style and contributed profusely in strengthening democratic values in the country"
— Sarbananda Sonowal, 23 November 2020
Gogoi's body was kept at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, a cultural institution in Guwahati, for people to pay their respects. On 23 November,Sarbananda Sonowal announced a three-day state mourning for Gogoi while visiting Gogoi's remains.[56] On 25 November, Congress LeaderRahul Gandhi visited Guwahati to pay tribute to Gogoi and meet with Gogoi's family.[57] The funeral procession with Gogoi's mortal remains began on 26 November from Sankardeb Kalakshetra, a cultural centre in Guwahati, where his body was kept for viewing since 24 November. The remains were first taken to his official residence. Then his remains were taken to a church at Six Mile in Guwahati, then to one at Naamghar at Zoo Road after which he was taken to Burha Jame Masjid at Ambari and then to Ugratara temple near Latasil before his cremation. This was done as per Gogoi's wishes.[58]
On 26 November, the funeral rites were performed with full state honours at the Nabagraha Cremation ground in Guwahati. Gaurav Gogoi, lit the pyre after performing the rituals. Gogoi's wife Dolly, daughter Chandrima, daughter-in-law Elizabeth, and other family members placed sandalwood on the pyre before it was lit by Gaurav.[59] Many politicians were present, including Chief MinisterSarbananda Sonowal, Finance MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarma, state BJP PresidentRanjeet Kumar Dass and state Congress presidentRipun Bora.[60][61]
| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forJorhat 1971–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKaliabor 1991–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKaliabor 1998–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Assam 17 May 2001 – 24 May 2016 | Succeeded by |
