Guwahati, November 26: At the death of a seasoned and experienced leader, Tarun Gogoi, the Congress in Assam has lost a guardian and a guiding light at this crucial juncture when the party is preparing for the Assembly election 2021.

The party will miss not only his rich experience but also his strong influence among the people from all the strata in the society. He could communicate well to all sections of the people across religion, castes and creed and gauge the mood of the people because of his vast experience in political arena since late 1960s in the state.

He was towering over all the state Congress party leaders at the age of 86 and still used to brief media at regular interval to take pot shots at the opposition BJP and AGP. His presence, clout, vision and credibility would have been tremendous when the Congress is trying to forge a grand alliance against the BJP for the Assembly election 2021.

A rare breed of leader, Tarun Gogoi used to command respect from rival politicians too and could call a spade a spade because of his almost unblemished track record in over five decades long public life and political career that saw him sitting in Lok Sabha as an MP for six terms, getting elected to the state assembly on four occasion and holding the post of Chief Minister for three consecutive terms. Congress us bound to miss him next election.

Also read: Gogoi pulled state out of dark phase of killings and no development