Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Raijor Dal president and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi was suspended from the Assam Assembly on July 23 after climbing onto his desk. He refused to sit down after Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass rejected his request to discuss the state's severe flooding. The Speaker ordered Assembly Marshals to remove Gogoi, who had been demanding that the government urge the Centre to declare the floods a national disaster.
Gogoi argued that Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Charaideo districts were devastated. "The three districts have turned into rubble; everything has been destroyed. I urge the Assam Assembly to ask the state government to request the Centre to declare it a natural calamity," he told the House. The Speaker denied the motion, noting that the Assembly was currently occupied with the Budget session and that a similar motion by Congress had already been dismissed.
The situation remains dire across the region. At least 41 people have died. Over 6.5 lakh people remain affected across 11 districts. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika admitted the government was unprepared for the flooding, which he described as the worst in eastern Assam in over six decades.
Gogoi has been pushing for a special relief package, at least 50 rescue boats for his constituency, and basic supplies like food and medicine for displaced families. He previously toured a relief camp at 398 No. Phukan Nagar Primary School with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Water Resources Minister Sushanta Borgohain.
The flooding has hit the MLA personally. His ancestral home in Lukhurakhan village, Jorhat, was submerged for three days. The water warped the front door, preventing his family from entering. Inside, more than 1,000 condolence letters regarding his mother's death were destroyed. Gogoi remains focused on rescue efforts in his district instead of returning home.
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