by Mrinal Talukdar
In Assam’s political theatre, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has perfected the art of not just countering opposition but strategic deployment it to its advantage.
A prime example of this deployment strategy is Akhil Gogoi, the fiery MLA whose relentless outbursts and dramatic interventions have made him the most visible opposition figure in the state.
However, far from being a serious challenge to the ruling party, Akhil’s presence is a BJP-engineered mechanism to neutralize and fragment the opposition, especially the Congress.
The BJP has not silenced Akhil; they have strategically deployed him. By ensuring that he remains the loudest but most isolated opposition figure, the BJP has executed a near-flawless play—one that ensures opposition disarray, media distraction, and a divided anti-BJP vote bank in Assam.
Akhil Gogoi: The BJP’s Deployed Disruptor
Akhil Gogoi’s greatest strength—his ability to dominate opposition discourse—is also his biggest weakness. Unlike conventional opposition leaders who build alliances, consolidate their position, and work towards creating an alternative power structure, Akhil operates in a vacuum. His speeches are loud, his attacks are direct, but his impact remains limited to headlines rather than legislative or electoral power.
Inside the Assam Assembly, Akhil has positioned himself as the perennial agitator, speaking on every issue, interjecting on every debate, and habitually disrupting proceedings. While this ensures constant visibility for him, it completely drowns out the rest of the opposition.
For the Treasury benches, Akhil is both a headache and a blessing. While his relentless attacks irritate the ruling party, they also serve a crucial function: they render the rest of the opposition invisible. His interventions often consume the opposition’s allotted time, leaving little space for a structured and coordinated challenge against the BJP government.
The BJP understands this dynamic and has carefully staged Akhil’s presence as the dominant opposition voice. It is a classic case of controlled opposition, where a single MLA’s exaggerated presence ensures that the larger opposition—Congress and other anti-BJP forces—remains fragmented and ineffective.
The Media’s Role in Amplifying BJP’s Deployment Strategy
BJP’s strategic deployment of Akhil does not just stop at the Assembly floor—it extends into the media space. The ruling party knows that as long as Akhil Gogoi remains the most vocal and newsworthy opposition figure, Congress and other parties will struggle for attention.
The media, always drawn to spectacle and controversy, has unwittingly played into BJP’s hands. Akhil’s daily dose of dramatic speeches, protests, and media-friendly antics dominate the news cycle. The result? A carefully curated illusion that opposition is strong and vocal, even when it is structurally weak and ineffective.
For the general public, this creates a perception of opposition chaos rather than opposition strength. Congress, which should be leading the fight against BJP, finds itself marginalized and overshadowed by one individual who has no organizational strength. The BJP benefits immensely from this false projection of a hyperactive but fragmented opposition, as it prevents any real consolidation against them.
Congress: The Silent Victim of Akhil’s Deployment
For the Congress, this situation is a political catastrophe. Once the principal opposition party in Assam, it now finds itself struggling for space in the Assembly, in the media, and among voters.
Akhil’s continuous noise in the Assembly means that Congress often does not get the time to present a structured attack against BJP’s policies. His dominance in the media means that Congress leaders are rarely the face of opposition politics. And his Raijor Dol’s strategic presence in the Muslim electorate ensures that Congress faces a divided voter base.
The BJP does not need to suppress Congress—they have already deployed Akhil to do the job.
Akhil Gogoi, despite all his fire and fury, is not an opposition leader—he is BJP’s most effective deployment to maintain its dominance.
As things stand, BJP does not need to fight the opposition; it has already structured the opposition in a way that it cannot fight back effectively.