Deeply personal loss: Sonia Gandhi mourns former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi’s death

New Delhi, Nov 23: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday described former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi as one of the tallest leaders of the party who was admired and respected for his extraordinary wisdom, vision and ability as she condoled the demise of the veteran leader.

Gogoi died in Guwahati on Monday while undergoing treatment for post-COVID-19 complications. He was 84.

Sending her condolences in a letter to Gaurav Gogoi, the son of Tarun Gogo, Sonia said the Congress party will always honour his memory.

"Shri Tarun Gogoi was one of the tallest leaders of the Congress party, admired and respected for his extraordinary wisdom, vision and ability. With his long years of experience as an MLA, an MP, a Central Minister and Chief Minister of Assam, he was someone to whose unfailingly wise counsel and advice we could always turn to," the Congress chief said.

She said former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi held Tarun Gogoi in high regard.

"For me, his loss is also a deeply personal one -- I cannot forget the warmth and care he showed on me on my many visits to Assam. During those visits, I saw how loved he was by all the many communities and people of Assam, how much he had done for them, and for their progress and welfare. No wonder he was Assam''s most universally loved and venerated public figure and the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state," Gandhi said.

The Congress chief said Gogoi''s life was cut short by the cruel pandemic, but he leaves a precious and lasting legacy in the standards he set and in his immense contribution to national life.

"The Congress party will always honour his memory," she said.

Gogoi was the chief minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016, a six-time parliamentarian and Union minister twice.