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AASU leaders pay homage to Gogoi

By Staff Reporter - 15 Sep 2010 12:00 AM GMT

GUWAHATI, Nov 25 - The top leadership of All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today visited the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra to pay their last respects to former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

AASU chief adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath, the outfit�s outgoing general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi and its general secretary-elect Sankor Jyoti Baruah, led the delegation. They paid floral tributes to the departed leader.

Speaking to the media, Bhattacharya said that Tarun Gogoi displayed democratic norms and inclusiveness in his political and social life.

�He (Tarun Gogoi) had a long innings. And during this long journey he took initiatives to bring about a permanent solution to major problems faced by Assam in a democratic manner. He also initiated new measures for bringing development to Assam. After coming to power he took bold steps to end the �secret killings�. He showed the will to solve the problem of illegal migrants. AASU had for long been demanding sealing of the India-Bangladesh border. He responded positively to our demand to jointly visit the international boundary and we went together to inspect the India-Bangladesh border. He tried to take the initiative for sealing the border. We were initially skeptical about whether he would pay heed to our demand and visit the border. But he took along a delegation from the AASU during his visit to the India-Bangladesh border and tried to take steps for security of the international frontier,� Bhattacharya said. He said that Tarun Gogoi played a key role in facilitating the tripartite talks which led to the update of the NRC.

�We had demanded tripartite talks where the Prime Minister would be involved. Tarun Gogoi took steps to resolve the impasse through negotiations and not through conflict. Those talks resulted in the first decision for updating the NRC. We had carried out an agitation but he responded in a constructive manner following the best democratic norms and he led the way for the tripartite talks,� said Bhattacharya.

Nath also credited Gogoi with ending the �secret killings� which had caused terror in Assam during the term of the second AGP government. �That was a very big contribution of Tarun Gogoi to the Assamese society,� Nath said.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi said that an era in Assam�s politics has ended with the demise of Tarun Gogoi. �He was a humanitarian and a committed democrat. Despite being a senior leader of a national party, Tarun Gogoi showed commitment to the regional spirit and aspirations of Assam. People of the State will remember him as a jatiyatabadi leader,� said the outgoing AASU general secretary.

Baruah, who will take over formally as AASU general secretary soon, described the former Chief Minister as �down to earth� and humble. �He always displayed the maturity to take everybody into confidence and treated everyone equally,� Baruah said.