Guwahati, Nov 11: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Monday launched a sharp attack on the state government, alleging that citizens and entrepreneurs are being exploited under a system he described as “syndicate raj” and “Mami tax.”

Speaking at a party joining programme in Philobari, Tinsukia district, Gogoi accused the ruling dispensation of enabling illegal practices that hinder business growth and employment. He claimed that new entrepreneurs in Assam are compelled to pay the so-called “Mami tax,” an indirect reference to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.

Gogoi vowed that if Congress is voted to power in the upcoming assembly elections, the party will take strict action against all illegal syndicates and abolish unauthorized collections. “The people are suffering because of coal, sand, and supari (betel nut) syndicates. Our party is committed to ending this exploitation once we form the government,” he told supporters.

According to a party statement, over 9,500 people joined the Congress across 35 districts on Monday as part of statewide induction programmes. In Guwahati alone, more than a hundred individuals joined under the Guwahati District Congress Committee, in the presence of senior leaders including Debabrata Saikia, Ripun Bora, Bhupen Bora, Abdul Khaleque, and Mira Barthakur.

Similar joining events were organised in Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur, Kamrup, Dhubri, Nagaon, Nalbari, and Morigaon. Gogoi also announced that another phase of mass recruitments will be held on December 10.