Gaurav Gogoi’s new post counters BJP’s ‘agent’ narrative: APCC
The party claims Gogoi’s appointment as India-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group president exposes BJP’s political propaganda
A file image of Gaurav Gogoi
Guwahati, Feb 25: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday said that the appointment of senior Congress leader and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi as president of the India-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group has exposed what it termed as politically motivated propaganda by the ruling BJP against him.
Gogoi, who is also the Deputy Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, was nominated for the post by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
The APCC asserted that the move has sent a strong message at a time when the Assam Chief Minister had levelled serious allegations against the opposition leader.
In a statement, the APCC said, “Gaurav Gogoi ji has been nominated as the President of the ‘India-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group’ by the Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
This comes at a time when the Assam Chief Minister is running a malicious campaign against our leader – even going so far as to call him a ‘Pakistani agent’. However, the very developments at the national level have exposed the baseless nature of these accusations.”
The party alleged that the BJP’s attempts to question Gogoi’s integrity and patriotism were aimed at diverting public attention and gaining political mileage. According to the APCC, the trust shown in Gogoi through this appointment reflects his credibility and acceptance at both national and international platforms.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, also congratulated Gogoi and criticised the ruling party’s approach. He said that the Chief Minister’s remarks were part of a “desperate attempt” to tarnish the image of a senior opposition leader.
“Questioning the patriotism of an elected MP for political gain, attempting to mislead public opinion through baseless allegations, and indulging in propaganda-driven politics are extremely harmful for democracy.
From those in power, responsibility and fact-based statements are expected, and not slander.
Today, by appointing Gaurav Gogoi as president of the India-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group, the Lok Sabha Speaker has sent a clear message that there is trust in him at both the national and international levels,” Saikia said.
The APCC maintained that the development has strengthened the Congress party’s stand that the allegations were unfounded and politically driven, and urged the ruling BJP to refrain from what it described as divisive and misleading narratives.