Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi arrived in Assam on Thursday to campaign for Congress and its alliance candidates, addressing large public rallies in Bokajan in Karbi Anglong district and Titabor in Jorhat district.
His visit follows an intensive campaign run by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Priyanka Gandhi, as the Congress steps up its push ahead of the upcoming state elections.
Gandhi formally released the Congress election manifesto at the Bokajan rally, where he also launched a sharp attack on what he called the "double engine" government at the Centre and in the state.
Drawing on cultural imagery, he described Assam as a diverse and unified whole. "Assam is a beautiful bouquet of diverse ideologies, religions, and communities, where every identity must have its own space," he said.
He strongly raised the issue of indigenous rights in Karbi Anglong, criticising the long-pending demand for autonomy and the failure to implement Article 244(A) of the Constitution — a provision he said would empower local leaders and councils to govern their own region.
"Governance will be from here, not from Guwahati," he said, promising full implementation of Article 244(A) if Congress comes to power.
At both rallies, Gandhi outlined five key guarantees that a Congress government would deliver. These include monthly financial assistance and Rs 50,000 support for women's self-reliance, a probe into Zubeen Garg's death within 100 days, land pattas for 10 lakh indigenous people, a Rs 1,250 pension and dedicated ministry for senior citizens, and free health insurance coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh.
He used the occasion to contrast what he described as BJP's broken promises — pointing to the party's 2021 pledge of Rs 350 wages and Scheduled Tribe status for tea tribes — with Congress's record of following through on commitments.
Gandhi invoked the late Assamese singer Zubeen Garg prominently across both rallies, describing him as an embodiment of Assam's spirit of unity and brotherhood — and drawing a direct ideological contrast with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
"Zubeen never spread hatred or insulted anyone but spoke of brotherhood and unity. His ideology was completely opposite to that of Himanta Biswa Sarma," Gandhi said.
He also recalled the ideals of Srimanta Sankardev, Bhupen Hazarika, and Jyotiprasad Agarwala alongside Garg, saying these figures represented the soul of Assam — one rooted in unity, not division.
Addressing the rally in Titabor, where he campaigned for Congress candidate Pran Kurmi, Gandhi trained his sights directly on the Chief Minister.
"They roam around thumping their chests and make reckless statements, but behind it lies fear. Your Chief Minister knows that sooner or later he will have to account for his wrongdoings and corruption," he said.
He also alleged that family members of the Chief Minister had been drawn into corruption and warned that they too would face consequences under a Congress government.
APCC President Gaurav Gogoi also addressed both rallies, delivering pointed criticism of what he called a syndicate-driven political culture in the state.
"Assam's politics is being run by a network of syndicates — coal, supari, cattle, sand — everything is controlled by this nexus," Gogoi said, adding that people would no longer tolerate authoritarian and low-quality governance.
He framed the election as a choice about cleaning up Assam's political environment, saying leadership could not be handed to those with syndicate ties.
Gandhi also used both platforms to question Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of India-US relations, alleging that ongoing agreements could open Indian markets to large-scale foreign agricultural imports — harming farmers and small industries in the process.