Guwahati, Feb 20: All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and chairperson of the screening committee for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, Priyanka Gandhi on Friday concluded her two-day visit to the state during which she chaired back-to-back meetings with party leaders, heads of district committees besides interacting with party MLAs to discuss strategy ahead of the Assembly elections.
Assam PCC sources informed that Gandhi remained engaged in party affairs at Rajiv Bhawan till the early hours of Friday morning after a packed schedule on Thursday during which she also chaired screening committee meetings to decide the party’s candidatures.
After a brief recess, the Congress MP began her concluding day’s tour with a visit to the Zubeen Kshetra in Sonapur where she paid floral tribute to the state’s cultural icon, Zubeen Garg.
She later held an organisational review meeting with the heads of various cells and departments of the Assam Congress at Rajiv Bhawan.
Addressing the media at Rajiv Bhawan, Gandhi said, “When Zubeen Garg passed away, those of us who are not from Assam witnessed how deeply the people of Assam loved and respected him. Every family in Assam had tears in their eyes. Watching from outside through the media and social platforms, we tried to understand the depth of this emotion.”
Praising his contribution to Assam’s cultural landscape, she said, “Zubeen Garg embodied the soul of Assam. His songs reflected the civilisation and culture of Assam. There was no hatred in his music. He spoke of love, unity, and peace. There was no message of violence or enmity in his songs. Each song celebrated love, unity, Assam’s heritage and identity. I conveyed this message to our party workers in yesterday’s meeting as well.”
She described her visit to Zubeen Kshetra as an emotional moment. “Earlier, I did not know so much about Zubeen Garg. But when I visited today and saw the items he cherished preserved there, I felt this place should be regarded as sacred.”
She said that Zubeen Garg should not be subjected to politics, clarifying that her visit was not political but a personal tribute to an artiste who was the voice and soul of Assam. “This is my first visit to Assam after his demise. I could not have returned to Delhi without paying tribute to someone who meant so much to the people of Assam,” she said.
Responding to questions about allegations raised by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against Assam PCC chief Gaurav Gogoi, she said, “There are two kinds of leaders in politics — positive and negative. Positive leaders speak about what they want to do for the people, about development and change, and about protecting Assam’s rich civilisation and culture. The other kind of politics is divisive, based on creating conflict, constant criticism, and attacks on families. Such politics should have no place.”
“The attack on Gaurav Gogoi and his family should serve as an example of what is wrong in Indian and Assamese politics. No one’s children or family should be targeted, especially when the allegations are false,” Gandhi said.
She further said the people of Assam understand why Gogoi is being targeted. “Those who are attacking him are afraid. They fear him because he is a decent and positive-minded leader who wants to bring a different kind of politics that respects the sentiments of the people of Assam. The people of Assam do not like negative rhetoric. They relate to Zubeen Garg because he spoke of love and unity. The people of Assam do not want politics of hatred,” she said.
On the chief minister, she remarked that instead of making unnecessary statements to seek votes, he should inform the people about what he has accomplished in the last five years and what he intends to do in the next five.
When asked why Himanta Biswa Sarma was not made chief minister during his tenure in Congress, she said, “Politics involves many decisions. Sometimes decisions go in your favour, sometimes against you. One has to accept that. If he is still lamenting about decisions taken a decade ago, what can I say?”
