Former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi’s son seeks blessings to fulfil his father’s last wish

Veteran Congress chief and former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s son, Gaurav, a sitting Lok Sabha MP, has sought blessings from individuals of the state to satisfy his father’s final needs.

Speaking to journalists after performing the late chief’s final rites in Guwahati on Thursday on the Nabagraha crematorium, Gaurav thanked everybody for showering love, respect and prayers for the departed soul.

The 84-year-old, three time chief-minister, handed away on Monday on the Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) after battling Covid-19 and problems associated to the illness for practically three months.

“I have suffered a big loss, but I am not sad. I am at peace to see the love and respect and prayers of the people of Assam for him. According to doctors at GMCH, his last wish was to visit Titabar (the constituency Gogoi represented in Assam assembly),” Gaurav informed journalists.

Gogoi was reportedly sad that he had not been in a position to go to Titabar attributable to his sickness. He additionally wished to go to all components of Assam and convey his final needs and desires for Assam to the general public by means of the media.

“The family has decided that we will take his ashes to Titabar and across Assam as per his wishes. Though he is not with us, his thoughts, teachings and ideas are with us,” stated Gaurav.

“As his son, I will try to fulfill his last wishes and seek the blessings of the people of Assam for that. I thank them for the immense outpouring of love and respect for my father,” he added.

Gogoi’s final rites have been carried out with full state honours together with a 21-gun salute. Gogoi’s spouse Dolly, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, a number of senior ministers, senior bureaucrats, law enforcement officials and Congress in-charge for Assam Jitendra Singh have been current on the event.

Earlier, on Thursday morning Gogoi’s physique was taken from Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, the place it had been stored for the general public to pay respects, to his official residence for some rituals related to the final rites.

From there it was taken in a procession to a church, a ‘naam-ghar’ (prayer home), a mosque and two temples earlier than the cortege proceeded to the Nabagraha crematorium for the final rites.

Gogoi’s mortal stays have been positioned in a flower-decked automobile the place his son Gaurav, few members of the family and senior leaders of Congress together with state unit president Ripun Bora have been current.

Hundreds of individuals lined the streets alongside which the procession handed to bid their remaining adieu to Gogoi-a scene not seen earlier in Guwahati for any political chief.

Nine years in the past, hundreds had thronged the streets to pay their respects to one in every of Assam’s foremost cultural icons, Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika.

The Assam authorities had declared a half-day state vacation on Thursday as a mark of respect to Gogoi. A 3-day state mourning had been declared on the day of his demise.

Gogoi, who served as chief minister for 3 phrases from 2001 to 2016 (Assam’s longest serving chief minister) is credited with ushering peace and stability to the state after 20 years of insurgency.