Rahul Gandhi pays homage to Tarun Gogoi

Born on April 1, 1936, former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi gained a tall political stature after he was elected as the Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee in 1976 under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Guwahati (Assam): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to the mortal remains of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati on Wednesday and called the grand old party veteran his guru.

He said Gogoi's demise is a personal loss for him. After arriving in Guwahati on a special flight from Goa, Gandhi straightaway reached Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, where the three-time chief minister's body has been kept for the public to pay their last respect.

He offered floral tributes to Gogoi's mortal remains in the presence of the veteran Congress leader's parliamentarian son Gaurav.

"I think Gogoi Ji was not just a leader of Assam. He was a formidable CM and a national leader. He inspired us by uniting the people of Assam and bringing peace to the state," Gandhi told reporters.

Gogoi did a "great service" to Assam and a "tremendous service" to India, he said.

"I have spent many hours with Gogoi Ji. He was my teacher, my guru. He explained to me what Assam is and what its people are. He narrated the beauty of Assam to me. It's a personal loss for me," Gandhi said while standing beside Gogoi's body.

The Congress stalwart died here on Monday while undergoing treatment for post-COVID-19 complications. He is survived by wife Dolly, daughter Chandrima and son Gaurav.

Gogoi will be cremated at the Navagraha crematorium the ground in the city on November 26, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday.

Assam's first chief minister (then called premier) Lokpriyo Gopinath Bordoloi was cremated at the Navagraha crematorium and a part of the ground was demarcated as his memorial.

• As per wishes of family and @INCAssam late Tarun Gogoi will be cremated in Navagraha Smashan on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
  
  Prayers 🙏@GauravGogoiAsm

  — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 24, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  As per wishes of family and @INCAssam late Tarun Gogoi will be cremated in Navagraha Smashan on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
  
  Prayers 🙏@GauravGogoiAsm

  — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 24, 2020

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  As per wishes of family and @INCAssam late Tarun Gogoi will be cremated in Navagraha Smashan on Thursday, November 26, 2020.
  
  Prayers 🙏@GauravGogoiAsm

  — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 24, 2020

"As per wishes of family and @INCAssam late Tarun Gogoi will be cremated in Navagraha Smashan (crematorium) on Thursday, November 26, 2020. Prayers", Sarma tweeted.

A three-day mourning had also been declared by the state government.