JORHAT, Nov 23 - People across Jorhat district, including former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi�s constituency Titabar, on Monday joined rest of the State in mourning the demise of Gogoi. As the news of the veteran leader was declared this evening, a pall of gloom descended over Titabar and rest of Jorhat district. All sections of people expressed their grief.
Party workers rushed to Jorhat district Congress office here and to party block office at Titabar and were grief-stricken due to the loss of a father figure. Many of them, including elderly people and women, were weeping over Gogoi�s demise. Homage was paid by lighting incense sticks in front of Gogoi�s photograph at both the offices and prayers offered to the departed soul. A party office-bearer of Titabar stated the people of the constituency wanted the funeral to be held at Titabar as he was �very much loved by people of Titabar for doing a lot� for the constituency, which was upgraded into a civil sub-division after Gogoi came to power. He said that the party unit has urged the State leadership to request the family members of Gogoi to carry out the last rites at Titabar.
A pall of gloom also prevailed at Rangajan village of Titabar where the ancestral home of Gogoi�s paternal family is situated. Large number of people gathered at the Rangajan residence of Gogoi�s greater family to offer their condolences.
Similarly, people also gathered at the family residence of Gogoi at Nazir Ali in Jorhat town this evening and offered homage to the departed soul by lightning incense sticks.
Jayanta Baruah, a businessman and a tenant in the residence complex of Gogoi, said that people from different areas of Jorhat on their own came to the residence after the news broke out to offer their homage.
Dip Gogoi, the younger brother of the former Chief Minister and a former Lok Sabha MP, who is presently here will be leaving for Guwahati to attend the funeral, a party member said.
Jorhat district unit BJP and Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Jorhat Press Club have mourned the death of Gogoi and have offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Raijor Dal too has mourned the demise of Tarun Gogoi and expressed its grief. A statement by Raijor Dal State Convenor Dibyajyoti Sarmah in Jorhat offered condolences to the bereaved family.
Our Staff Correspondent from Silchar adds: The passing away of former Chief Minister and Congress veteran leader Tarun Gogoi on Monday has been deeply mourned by leaders across party lines in Barak Valley.
Former Silchar MP and also an ex-legislator from the constituency Susmita Dev expressed her condolences at the demise of Gogoi saying, �We have lost a stalwart today and a statesman. As a Chief Minister, he ensured peace and prosperity of Assam. I will remember him as a father figure and guide.�
Susmita further added to say that he was the most accessible Chief Minister and he was always available to meet. �He not only talked about politics with me but had shared many enriching stories about my father and his political life together,� she said.
Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy also expressed his grief at the demise of the former Chief Minister saying, �he was an immensely popular political leader in the State and of the country. Our ideologies might be different but to manage the State for 15 years is a mammoth effort and Gogoi has done that with great grit. My thoughts are with Gaurav Gogoi and his family.�
BJP veteran and former Union Minister Kabindra Purakayastha said that he had met and interacted with Gogoi on a number of occasions in Delhi, Guwahati and Silchar as well. �His death is a major incident in the political ambit of the State. People had good notions of his brand of politics and his passing away has certainly created a gap,� he maintained.
Former State Minister Gautam Roy also paid his tributes recollecting life and works of the ex-Chief Minister saying, �he was a great leader. The void that his demise has created cannot be filled. We have had positive responses from him with regard to development of Barak Valley, even though bringing the funds had stumbling blocks on the way.�
Another former State Minister Ajit Singh termed Gogoi as his �political guru� as he shared his feelings saying, � we have lost a great fighter who could bring home projects from the Centre for development of the State.�
Our Correspondent from Tezpur adds: Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) has condoled the death of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
In a condolence message, president of Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Taren Boro said that the literary body expresses its deep condolences at the demise of the veteran politician of the region, who contributed a lot towards the State�s development being the Chief Minister of the State for three consecutive terms.
�It is great loss for the region as he always thought for betterment of the region and communal bliss among all ethnic communities. We deeply convey our condolences to the bereaved family,� the release said.
