Tarun Gogoi (11 October 1936 – 23 November 2020) was an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 13th Chief Minister of Assam from 2001 to 2016. He was the longest serving Chief Minister of Assam. He was a member of the Indian National Congress. He is the father of Deputy Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi.
Gogoi was a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly from 2001 to until his death in 2020 from Titabar constituency and from Margherita constituency from 1996 to 1998. He was the member of Lok Sabha representing Kaliabor from 1991 to 1996 and again from 1998 to 2001 and Jorhat constituency from 1971 to 1984. He was also Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Food and Processing Industries in the P. V. Narasimha Rao ministry from 1993 to 1995. He was posthumously awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour, in 2021.
Tarun Gogoi was born on 1 April 1936 into an Tai-Ahom family at Rangajan Tea Estate, erstwhile Sibsagar District, now the Jorhat District of Assam. His father, Kamaleshwar Gogoi was a medical practitioner at Rangajan Tea Estate. His mother, Usha Gogoi, was the younger sister of the Assamese poet Ganesh Gogoi.
He is the brother of national award winning film producer Paran Barbarooah. He is also the elder brother Dip Gogoi, who also served as Member of Parliament for Kaliabor and Member of Assam Legislstive Assembly for Titabar.
He began his primary education at No. 26 Rangajan Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya (lower foundation school), before moving on to Jorhat Madrassa School (through class IV), and Bholaguri High School (through class VI). He passed his Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSLC) exam from the Jorhat Government High School, before graduating from the Jagannath Barooah College. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Gauhati University.
Gogoi started his political career as a member of the municipal board at Jorhat in 1968 before being elected to the Fifth Lok Sabha in 1971 from Jorhat. He represented Jorhat in Lok Sabha through the next two terms until 1985. He represented Kaliabor in the Tenth Lok Sabha between 1991 and 1996, and the Twelfth and Thirteenth Lok Sabha between 1998 and 2001. He quit the Thirteenth Lok Sabha, mid-term, to assume office as the Chief Minister of Assam in 2001, serving a total of six terms as a member of parliament.
During his second term in the Lok Sabha, he was elected as a Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1976, under Congress leader and Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. He later served as a General Secretary of the AICC, from 1985 to 1990, under Congress leader and Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. He served in the Union Cabinet of India under Prime Minister, P. V. Narasimha Rao, as the Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries between 1991 and 1996. He was a member of the Committee on Government Assurances, Consultative Committee, Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Committee on External Affairs in the Tenth Lok Sabha. In the Thirteenth Lok Sabha he was a member of the Committee on Railways. Appreciators believe that during his tenure as the chief minister, he is credited with ending militant insurgency and mitigating violence in addition to improving the state's fiscal condition.
He served as the President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) between 1986 and 1990, before being appointed as the President again in 1996. Through has state legislative career he served four terms as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). He first represented the Margherita constituency between 1996 and 1998, and the Titabar constituency since 2001.
Gogoi lead the Indian National Congress in the 2001 Assam Legislative Assembly election, with congress securing 70 seats in the Assembly. On 18 May 2001, Gogoi was unanimously elected leader of the Congress legislative party and was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam. He succeeded the Asom Gana Parishad government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. Gogoi was faced with the onerous task of bringing the state out of the morass of militant violence and financial instability characterised by a huge debt burden with even government employees not receiving their salaries on time. During the ministry self employment schemes to counter terrorism, the Police Commission for smooth functioning of administration of State, the Chief Vigilance Commission to prevent corruption and the right to information bill were all established.
On 6 August 2003, a motion of no-confidence was filed against the ministry of Gogoi jointly by AGP, BJP and ASDC.
Initiating the discussion, Brindaban Goswami said that the people of Assam had brought the Congress to power expecting a clean and transparent Government. But, the present Government had drowned into several corruption scandals. He also referred to the ethnic conflict between the Demasa-Hmar group and alleged that the law and order situation had worsened in the last two years. Consequently, innocent people had been killed. Opposition parties were not allowed to function freely and even the party office of BJP was ransacked by miscreants in broad daylight. He further alleged that the Government had not taken any steps for the detection and deportation of foreigners.
In his reply, Gogoi described all the allegations made against him and his Ministry as baseless. Gogoi said that the AGP had no right to criticise the present Government as they had ruined the socio-economic condition of State when it was in power. The present Government had tried to improve the conditions and had succeeded to some extent. The Central Government had sanctioned more funds to the State for rural development and the public distribution system. He gave a detailed description of the increase in the tax collection, revenue collection and per capita income and said the State was making progress on diverse fronts. The Government had been trying its best to prevent corruption. Regarding the law and order situation, he said the situation had returned to normal and an initiative had been taken for discussion with the Demasa-Hmar and other extremist groups. The motion was debated on 8 August 2003 and was defeated by voice-vote.
Assam's GSDP at constant (1999-2000) prices increased 5.33 percent annually between 2002 and 2007.
Gogoi again led Congress in the 2006 Assam Legislative Assembly Election and Congress received 53 seats, 9 less than the 64 needed for a majority, Gogoi's initiative in this direction paid dividends with the Congress returning to power for the second consecutive term, albeit with lesser seats, and formed the government in alliance with its coalition partner Bodoland People's Front (BPF). During the ministry the law-and-order situation abruptly improved and the financial condition of the state improved. Gogoi gave importance to implementation of the schemes of the Central Government by different departments of the state. He also gave importance for industrialization of the state. He also took initiative to solve the insurgency problems of Assam through negotiation.
Assam's real GSDP increased 6.78 percent annually between 2007 and 2012.
In the 2011 Assam Legislative Assembly election, Gogoi again led the congress party. Congress received 78 seats with an increased majority of 25 seats. Stemming from dissent within the party that saw 32 MLAs resign, he could not get the Indian National Congress to victory in the 2016 legislative assembly elections. Sarbananda Sonowal from the Bharatiya Janata Party went on to win the elections and become the chief minister.
Assam's real GSDP at constant (2011–12) prices increased approximately 7.6 percent annually between 2012 and 2016.
In his career as the chief minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi is credited with having brought the many militant outfits operating in the state including the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to the negotiating table and mitigating militant insurgency within the state. It is noted that when he started his tenure, militant insurgency was at the peak in the State with multiple bomb blasts in Guwahati triggered by ULFA, riots and violent demands for accession in the Bodoland Territorial Region, and militant attacks on Hindi speakers. By the time he ended his tenure as the chief minister, an improved law and order and a relatively violence-free tenure were considered his legacy.