Assam Speaker Considers Releasing Footage of Akhil Gogoi Desk Stunt

Guwahati: Assam Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass stated on July 24 that he might release footage of Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi climbing onto his desk. He labeled the move unparliamentary and a strike against the House dignity. The Speaker delivered these remarks during Question Hour following a point of order from Leader of Opposition Wazed Ali Choudhury.

Choudhury pushed back against social media claims that Congress opposed the adjournment motion filed by Gogoi. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika joined the fray, accusing Gogoi of distorting the truth through outside statements. Speaker Dass dismissed the noise. He told the chamber that the Assembly should focus on its own business rather than online chatter.

The Speaker defended his choice to nix adjournment motions from both the Congress and Gogoi. He said the schedule demanded votes on supplementary grants. "I had to ensure that the Budget was passed so that funds could be made available for flood-affected people. Therefore, the adjournment motions were not allowed," Dass said. He did give Gogoi two minutes to speak because Sivasagar remains a flood hotspot.

Gogoi lost his cool when asked to wrap up. He climbed onto the desk. The Speaker kicked him out for the rest of the day. "I have been an MLA since 2011, but I have never witnessed such behaviour as climbing onto a desk. I am thinking of asking the Assembly Secretary to release the video," he said. The incident marks a boiling point in the ongoing fight over how to handle the devastating floods hitting Upper Assam.