Veteran congressman and former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi passed at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Guwahati on Monday. He was 86.
Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while speaking to the media, confirmed that the former CM who was suffering from multi-organ failure passed away at around 5:34 pm.
The mortal remains of the departed veteran leader will be kept at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakhetra on Tuesday for people to pay their homage.
Gogoi was admitted to the hospital on the intervening night of November 1st and 2nd after he complained of restlessness and breathing problems. Since then he was kept under non-invasive ventilator support.
He tested positive for Covid-19 in August and was discharged following brief medical care.
Gogoi was discharged from GMCH on October 25 after undergoing treatment for the post-Covid-19 recovery complications. Following the discharge, he was put under strict medical care by a team of government doctors.
He had tested positive for Covid-19 on August 25, however, his health condition had deteriorated on August 31 with a sudden fall in oxygen saturation level. Hospital authorities administered plasma therapy thereafter.
Following the discharge from the hospital, Gogoi took to Twitter and wrote: “I thank the entire medical team at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital including the specialists, doctors, nurses, staff, for their excellent care for the past two months. I look forward to continuing my recovery at home under medical supervision.”
Gogoi, a three-time chief minister of Assam served the state from 2001 to 2016. In his five-decade-long political career, he also served as a minister in P.V. Narasimha Rao’s government from 1991 to 1996.
He has served six terms as the Member of Parliament (MP) from Kaliabor and Jorhat constituency.
He became a political leader with national stature after he was elected Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1976 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He later served as General Secretary of the AICC from 1985 to 1990 under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
His political career holding a head position in the state culminated on a high note on May 18, 2016, after he completed 15 consecutive years as Assam’s chief minister thereby becoming the longest-serving CM of the state.
The late veteran congressman started his political career in 1968 after he was appointed as a member of the Jorhat Municipal Board and was elected as Member of Parliament from Jorhat consistency in Assam.
