Assam: Veteran Congress leader and former minister Sarat Borkotoky dies at 86

GUWAHATI-     Veteran Congress leader Sarat Borkotoky, a former minister in the Assam government, died at a hospital in Guwahati on Monday, officials said.

Borkotoky, 86, was admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on October 16 with various age-related ailments, they said.

His condition started to deteriorate on Sunday night, and he breathed his last at 1.36 am, they said.

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He had donated his eyes, which were removed before the body was handed over to the family, they added.

The mortal remains were taken to Borkotoky’s residence in Guwahati, and the state Congress headquarters in the city. Party leaders and workers paid their last respects to him there.

The last rites will be held at his native place, Sonari in Charaideo district.

Borkotoky was the MLA of Sonari from 1991 to 2016, serving five consecutive terms, before losing to BJP’s Topon Kumar Gogoi.

He served as a minister in the Hiteswar Saikia government as well as the Tarun Gogoi government, holding important portfolios such as Education and Public Works.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Borkotoky’s death was a great loss for the state.

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“He was an astute politician and a person with a clean personality, and I had the opportunity of learning a lot from him,” Sarma said, referring to his days in the Congress, before joining BJP.

Condoling the death, state Congress president Bhpuen Kumar Bora said the party has lost a dedicated worker.

He said the party will always be indebted to him for the lifelong association, with Borkotoky serving as the treasurer of the state Congress till his last breath.