Controversy Erupts Over Tampered Suggestion Boxes in Jorhat Congress Event
Political Tensions Rise in Jorhat
Jorhat, Jan 8: A significant controversy has emerged in Jorhat following allegations from Gaurav Gogoi, a leader of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), regarding tampering of suggestion boxes during a recent outreach program. This incident has led the Congress party to request a police investigation.
According to Gogoi, the suggestion boxes, intended to gather public feedback for the Congress initiative titled “Raijor Podulit Raijor Congress”, were discovered damaged after the event, with slips reportedly removed by unknown individuals.
The outreach event took place at the Jorhat Press Club on Wednesday night, aimed at collecting grievances and suggestions in preparation for the upcoming 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
“We had a productive discussion with approximately 40 organizations and gathered their feedback. However, we later discovered that someone had tampered with the suggestion box, removing and tearing the slips. I have notified the district Congress unit and requested them to file a police report to investigate how the slips were taken,” Gogoi stated.
Raijor Podulit Raijor Congress suggestion box
The controversy arose after claims that the district Congress unit had inadvertently left the suggestion boxes at the Press Club post-meeting.
Congress members returned to the venue on Thursday morning to collect the box, which quickly sparked political reactions and criticism from opposing parties.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took advantage of the situation to criticize the Congress, suggesting it demonstrated the Opposition party's disconnection from the public.
Assam BJP secretary Siddhanku Ankur Baruah compared this incident to a previous outreach initiative proposed by former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, asserting that Gaurav's father's similar program faced the same issues.
“This initiative has already failed. The Congress lacked the courage to retrieve the suggestion boxes containing the views of party workers and citizens. By abandoning them, the Congress has disrespected the people of Jorhat,” Baruah claimed.
He further contrasted this incident with what he described as the BJP’s ongoing commitment to grassroots engagement under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
In response, sources indicated that the Jorhat district Congress committee is expected to hold a press conference shortly to clarify the situation regarding the suggestion box and address the political fallout from this incident.