Tarun Gogoi Age, Caste, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

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Death Cause: Multi-organ Dysfunction

Hometown: Jorhat

Age: 84 Years

Bio/Wiki
Nickname	Punakon
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 178 cm in meters- 1.78 m in feet & inches- 5’ 10”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (1968-2020)
Political Journey	• 1968 - Elected as a member of the Jorhat Municipal Board • 1971 - Elected to Lok Sabha from the Jorhat constituency • 1976 - Appointed as the Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee • 1977 - Re-elected to Lok Sabha from the Jorhat constituency • 1983 - Re-elected to Lok Sabha from the Jorhat constituency • 1985 - Appointed as the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee • 1986 - President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) • 1991 - Elected to Lok Sabha from the Kaliabor constituency • 1991 - Appointed as the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Food in the P. V. Narasimha Rao government • 1993 - Appointed as the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the Ministry of Food Processing Industry • 1996 - Elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly in a by-election from the Margherita constituency • 1998 - Elected to 12th Lok Sabha from the Kaliabor constituency • 1999 - Elected to 13th Lok Sabha from the Kaliabor constituency • 2001 - Chief Minister of Assam • 2006 - Chief Minister of Assam • 2011 - Chief Minister of Assam • 2016 - Elected to the Assam Legislative Assembly from the Titabar constituency
Awards, Honours	Padma Bhushan (Posthumously) (2021)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	1 April 1936 (Wednesday)
Birthplace	Rangajan, Jorhat, Assam
Date of Death	22 November 2020
Place of Death	Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH)
Age (at the time of death)	84 Years
Death Cause	Multi-organ dysfunction
Zodiac sign	Aries
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Jorhat
School	Jorhat Government High School, Assam (1955)
College/University	Gauhati University
Educational Qualification	Bachelor of Legislative Laws
Religion	Hinduism ^[1]Times Now
Caste	Assamese Tai-Ahom
Hobbies	Reading and Gardening
Controversies	• Discrepancies in the police constable appointment process In 2004–2005, during Tarun Gogoi tenure as the Chief Minister of Assam, a police constables selection process in the state was challenged at the Guwahati High Court, where justice Ranjan Gogoi had to head the bench. Tarun Gogoi was accused of influencing the case as he allegedly met Ranjan Gogoi's mother and asked her to convince Ranjan Gogoi to favour the selection process. • The North Cachar Hills scam, worth Rs 1,000 crore In January 2011, Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam was accused of involving in a Rs 1,000 crore North Cachar Hills scam. However, the Gauhati High Court cleared everyone charged in the case on 11 August 2023. • Congress Members rebel against Gogoi In March 2013, 31 of the 79 Congress rebelled against Gogoi and called him an "autocratic megalomaniac." After Gogoi announced an alliance with the All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the then-state minister of health and education, Himanta Biswa Sarma, organised the campaign to remove Gogoi. Gogoi had opposed forming an alliance with the AIUDF during the 2011 Assam assembly elections. When the AIUDF won panchayat elections earlier that year, an MLA accused Gogoi of changing his stance. Rahul Gandhi, however, rejected this decision to form an alliance with the AIUDF. However, Sarma later denied his involvement in any memorandum signed against the CM, and said, "I have never said anything against the honourable Chief Minister. I don’t know of any memorandum. We have some minor differences but we can sort them out directly." • Case of corruption against Gogoi In 2018, a police complaint was filed in Dispur against Tarun Gogoi for carrying out a programme in 2015 under the chief minister's Special Programme Scheme for the distribution of blankets and yarn, which was in violation of rules set by the finance department and the chief vigilance commissioner (CVC). He was charged under five sections, 120(b), 420, 406, 409, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, A Ludhiana-based company named Youngman Woollen Mills Pvt Ltd was chosen to supply the blankets during the bidding process because they provided the lowest prices. Out of the six zones in the state, the company only received the supply order for two of them. Companies that didn't even enter the bidding process received the remaining orders for 4 zones.
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	30 July 1972
Family
Wife/Spouse	Dolly Gogoi (post-graduate in Zoology)
Children	Son- Gaurav Gogoi (politician) Daughter- Chandrima Gogoi
Parents	Father- Kamaleswar Gogoi (Doctor at Rangajan Tea Estate) Mother- Usha Gogoi
Siblings	Brother- Dip Gogoi (Younger) (politician) Sister- None

Some Lesser Known Facts About Tarun Gogoi

Tarun Gogoi’s mother, Usha Gogoi, was famous for her poetry collection ‘Hiyar Samahar.’

Tarun Gogoi started his career in politics while attending Jagannath Barooah (JB) College. He actively led the Bharat Yuvak Samaj unit in Assam. He joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in 1963.

He contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1996 on an Indian National Congress (INC) ticket from the Kaliabor constituency, but Keshab Mahanta of the Asom Gana Parishad party defeated him by a margin of 1,616 votes. He decided to enter state politics after this setback.

From 1998 to 2000, Tarun Gogoi was a member of several Lok Sabha committees. He served as a member of the Committee on External Affairs, the Committee on Government Assurances, the Committee on Railways, and the Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Tarun Gogoi was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Assam.

Gogoi’s father always wanted him to pursue a career in engineering or medicine, but he wanted to become a politician.

He loved to play golf and was also interested in various other sports including football, tennis, and cricket.

He had a double pacemaker implanted in his heart during surgery in 2006. At the Asian Heart Institute in Mumbai, he had an aortic valve replacement and a complex bypass surgery in 2010.

As the Chief Minister of Assam, he effectively put an end to militant activities in the state. He had successful talks with the armed separatist group United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), which minimized rioting and violent demands for entry into the Bodoland Territorial Region. He also tried to have peaceful talks with other such organizations like DHD, UPDS, and NDFB (Pro-talk group) to improve law and order in Assam.
ULFA chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, meeting Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi (extreme right)

Gogoi took office as Assam’s Chief Minister on 17 May 2001, when the financial condition of the state was not good, and the government workers weren’t even getting paid on time. He then introduced various self-employment schemes and promoted industrialization in the state.

He chaired the Assam Small Scale Industries Development Council, was a member of the Assam Bar Council, and was a director of Vayudoot.

Gogoi mediated the tripartite negotiations in 2005 between the state government, AASU, and the Central government. During his time as chief minister, the NRC was updated. He claimed that an updated NRC would serve as the foundational document to stop unjustified harassment of undocumented immigrants. Gogoi, during the tripartite talk, said,

The Constitution of India, as also the Assam Accord, does not differentiate among illegal migrants and foreigners on the basis of religion. We made it clear before the home minister that we will stiffly oppose any such move.”

He disagreed with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 announced by the Modi government.

My father and former 3-term Assam Chief Minister Shri Tarun Gogoi dons his lawyer robes to file his case against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the Supreme Court today. @tarun_gogoi @INCIndia pic.twitter.com/fsOxEFKtcm

— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) December 18, 2019

Gogoi’s autobiography, “Turnaround – Leading Assam from the Front,” was released by Harper Collins in May 2016.

Tarun Gogoi was often spotted playing the drum at Bihu Pandals.
Tarun Gogoi (extreme right) plays the dhol during Sampriti Asom Utsav organised to mark the Rongali Bihu celebrations in Guwahati

Despite threats from militants, he successfully organised the 33rd National Games of India, held in Assam.

Gogoi expanded the reach of the Indian Constitution’s sixth schedule to include the Bodo regions in the Brahmaputra Valley. As a result of the second Bodo peace agreement, he founded the Bodo Territorial Council.

Gogoi placed a strong focus on female education and women’s empowerment. He was a supporter of several self-help groups.
Tarun Gogoi at an event organised by a SHG

Tarun Gogoi loved fish dishes from Assam. His favourite fish dishes were the Singi and Magur ones which were cooked with herbs. ^[2]India Today

Gogoi held the position of Treasurer at All Assam Moina Parijat & Children’s Organisations during his career.

Known as the forever cheerful CM, he gained popularity in the media for his open and courageous comments. “Misa kole kidal hobo” was his favourite catchphrase, which means “What’s the point lying?” ^[3]India Today