Dibrugarh, Jan 3: As political activity intensifies ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday framed the upcoming polls as a public reckoning rather than a conventional political contest, sharply criticising the state government at a joint opposition convention in Dibrugarh.
Addressing a large gathering of opposition leaders and local residents, Gogoi said the election was “not a fight between political parties, but a fight of the people of Assam against a particular king.
” Without naming any individual, he said voters were fully aware of whom he was referring to and accused the ruling establishment of depending on money power, muscle power, communal polarisation and alleged violations of the law to retain power.
Gogoi expressed confidence that voters would unite against what he described as politics driven by fear and intimidation. He said the verdict in Assam would send a strong message across the country against the use of money and coercion in elections.
Terming the 2026 polls a referendum on Assam’s identity and self-respect, the Congress leader said the people would not compromise on their culture, traditions, historical legacy and dignity. He added that a democratic assertion from Assam could inspire similar resistance to injustice elsewhere in the country.
The Congress MP also alleged that the current government had created an atmosphere of fear in the state, claiming journalists, government officials and businesspersons were facing increased harassment.
Such a situation, he said, was unprecedented in Assam and had not been witnessed during the tenure of previous chief ministers.
Hinting at possible shifts in opposition strategy, Gogoi said that after this month “the phase of friendship will end and a new political direction will be decided,” a remark widely interpreted as a signal of impending decisions on opposition alliances ahead of the elections.
The convention saw repeated appeals from opposition leaders to safeguard Assam’s peace, unity and cultural identity.
Concluding his address, Gogoi said the opposition was committed to restoring peace in Assam and ending what he described as the politics of injustice.
