Former Assam Assembly Speaker and BJP MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami on Monday, July 27 defended his decision to travel abroad during the recent floods in Upper Assam, saying he remained in regular contact with district officials, party workers and residents of his Jorhat constituency despite being overseas. He told reporters at the Assam Legislative Assembly that the flood situation in Jorhat is now under control and that he has been coordinating relief efforts remotely.
Goswami said the Assembly Speaker had permitted him to travel for family reasons after proceedings, and that he planned to return to Jorhat following the session to personally assess relief work. He clarified that the trip abroad was for his daughter’s PhD admission process, was planned well in advance, and that he had informed all concerned about his return during the Assembly session.
Saying he had left when local conditions appeared normal, Goswami added that he did not anticipate the flooding would worsen so rapidly and had expected water levels to fall. He also cited the practical difficulty and high cost of cancelling pre-booked travel and arranging last-minute tickets as a factor that delayed an immediate return.
Goswami stressed that physical absence did not mean neglect, saying he remained in constant touch with the Deputy Commissioner and party volunteers handling relief on the ground. “Even when I was not there, I was in communication with the Deputy Commissioner. Our volunteers have been providing flood relief,” he told the media.
Rejecting accusations of abandoning his constituency, the BJP legislator said he does not seek publicity for his work and claimed no complaints had been raised against him by Jorhat residents. “I do not seek publicity. I have never wanted it. The people of Jorhat have not made any complaints against me,” he said.
Visibly emotional during the interaction, Goswami was seen wiping tears as he answered questions about the criticism. He said he would arrive in Jorhat by Monday evening (July 27) to review the ground situation and oversee relief operations, expressing confidence that conditions were steadily improving and that he would continue to monitor developments closely.
