Gaurav Gogoi’s ‘Who Is Himanta?’ Moment: Can Congress Rewind Assam’s Political Clock to 2011?

When Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi recently asked, "Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?" while addressing a massive gathering in Guwahati, the line instantly struck a familiar chord across Assam's political landscape. The phrase was not random, it echoed his father (the late and iconic father) Tarun Gogoi's iconic 2011 rhetorical question, "Who is Badruddin Ajmal?", which helped shape that election cycle and consolidate Congress's hold over key constituencies.

Three-time former Assam Chief Minister and lawyer, veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi died at the age of 84 on 23rd November 2020 due to multiple organ failure (triggered by post-Covid complications) at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Guwahati.

And fifteen years on since his 2011 historic quip, Assam's political terrain has shifted dramatically. The enduring relevance of his son Gaurav Gogoi's rhetorical gambit is open to question, and its implications go to the heart of Congress's electoral strategy today.

2011: A Phrase That Changed the Narrative

In the 2011 Assembly polls, when the Maulana Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF was emerging as a growing force, then-chief minister Tarun Gogoi's dismissive "Who is Badruddin Ajmal?" resonated with voters and framed Congress's campaign narrative. It signalled confidence and deflected attention from a rival that many feared could split minority-community votes. The line entered political folklore and became shorthand for dismissing challengers with rhetorical finesse.

This historical reference now underpins Gaurav Gogoi's "Who is Himanta?" invocation, a deliberate attempt to tap into that political memory and realign old narratives to the 2026 electoral context.

The Himanta Story: A Strategic Loss, Not Just a Turnaround

Unlike Ajmal in 2011, Himanta Biswa Sarma is not an emerging challenger. He is the sitting chief minister of Assam, a central figure in the BJP's leadership in the Northeast, and one of the most visible political actors in the state today, making him a very different referent from Ajmal.

Equally significant is the fact that Himanta was once one of Congress's most effective strategists and administrators in Assam.

In both 2006 and 2011, as Tarun Gogoi's trusted lieutenant, Sarma was the key strategist who helped steer the Congress to victory in Assam. However, his standing within the party began to wane after Gogoi's son, Gaurav, entered active state politics in 2011. Matters came to a head when Sarma, claiming the backing of 54 of the party's 78 MLAs, sought to replace Gogoi senior as chief minister, only to be turned down by then Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

A widely reported anecdote has become part of his own explanation for disillusionment with the Congress leadership, a story he has recounted publicly on social media and in interviews.

During a mid-2010s meeting with then-Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders, Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that Rahul Gandhi's pet dog "Pidi" entered the room and took a biscuit from a plate served to party leaders.

According to Himanta's own statements, this plate was not changed before the guests were offered biscuits, an incident he interpreted as symbolic of what he saw as a lack of seriousness from the central leadership.

In a tweet responding to a viral video controversy in early 2024, Himanta himself articulated this memory again: "Pallavi ji, not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit. I am a proud Assamese and Indian. I refused to eat and resign from the Congress," said Himanta Biswa Sarma on X.

This version has been widely circulated and referenced in political commentary, making the anecdote part of the public record rather than speculation.

His departure from the party in 2015 changed the state's political fault lines. A disgruntled Sarma joined the BJP and went on to become the chief strategist behind Congress's near-total collapse not only in Assam but across the Northeast. He played a decisive role in securing BJP victories in Assam in both 2016 and 2021, and was instrumental in the party forming governments in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya.

Time and again, whenever the BJP administration in the region has faced a crisis, Sarma has stepped in to steady the ship.

From Congress Stalwart to BJP Power Centre

After leaving Congress, Himanta quickly rose through the BJP ranks, becoming one of its most effective regional leaders. He engineered electoral gains for the party and, in 2021, led the BJP to form the government in Assam, becoming chief minister. This transformation from Congress strategist to BJP leader was not just organisational but symbolic: it marked a shift in Assam's political equilibrium.

Today, Himanta's political profile is at the centre of Assam's governance and campaign narratives, making him the exact opposite of a fringe figure

Gaurav Gogoi: Legacy Meets Reality

This makes Gaurav Gogoi's rhetorical throwback both ambitious and fraught. Tarun Gogoi's 2011 phrase carried weight because it came from a sitting chief minister with deep state-wide resonance. His words were backed by incumbency, organisational strength, and an established political brand.

Gaurav Gogoi, by contrast, is still in the process of building that mass political appeal across Assam. Although a veteran parliamentarian and loyalist within the Congress leadership, his influence isn't yet on the same scale as his father's was at the height of his political power.
Observers suggest that symbolic references, even powerful ones, must be paired with real political substance, strategy, and organisational depth to be effective. A throwback line alone is insufficient in a state where voters are attuned to governance outcomes and local leadership credentials.

A Changed Assam & a Changed Voter

Assam of 2026 is not Assam of 2011. Social media, hyper-local mobilisation, identity politics, and governance records now shape electoral behaviour. Rhetoric must compete with an avalanche of real-time narratives and political content. In this environment, symbolism is no longer enough.

Himanta's own tweets and reminders of past grievances with the Congress have kept the anecdote in the public eye, but they have also underscored his stature, not as someone whose relevance can be questioned but as someone whose political trajectory is deeply tied to Assam's current power structures.

Moreover, political opponents have actively rebutted Gaurav's critique. For instance, Himanta himself responded to the "Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?" jibe by emphasising his Assamese identity and challenging the Congress narrative:

"I am a son of my parents and an Assamese who loves Assam. The Congress should ask 'Miya' leaders like Badruddin Ajmal who they are, not an Assamese person like me.", Himanta Biswa Sarma (as quoted in media coverage of the exchange).

These statements reflect an active engagement with the rhetoric rather than ignoring it, something that suggests the BJP's confidence in his standing among voters.

Himanta Biswa Sarma is no political novice. A former firebrand student leader and a three-time general secretary of Cotton College's students' union, he was personally mentored over the years by three Assam chief ministers, viz. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta of the AGP, and Congress leaders Hiteswar Saikia and Tarun Gogoi. Yet today, he is chief minister under neither the AGP nor the Congress. That distinction belongs to the BJP, the party that elevated him after he switched sides in 2015.

What This Means for Congress

Gaurav Gogoi's rhetorical echo is a clever political reference, not an outdated anecdote. It signals Congress's attempt to reclaim a narrative space rooted in Assam's political memory. But it raises a central question:Does Gaurav Gogoi yet carry the political weight that his father did when he first deployed this line in 2011?

Legacy and analogy can open conversational doors. But in a fiercely competitive electoral environment like Assam, they cannot substitute for ground organisation, governance performance, voter connect, and a clear campaign message.