Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took an indirect dig at Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over the latter’s wife retaining foreign citizenship for the last 12 years after getting married.
During my interactions with an IFS officer in Singapore, I learned that officers in the Indian Foreign Service cannot marry a foreign national without prior permission from the Government of India. Moreover, even when permission is granted, it comes with the condition that the spouse must acquire Indian citizenship within six months,” the CM wrote on X.
He added, “Interestingly, this rule does not apply to our lawmakers. However, allowing a foreign spouse of a lawmaker to retain foreign citizenship for 12 years is far too long. Loyalty to the nation must always take precedence over all other considerations.”
Elizabeth Colebourn, Gogoi’s wife, worked previously with Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a senior advisor to Pakistan’s Planning Commission which has raised serious questions given that the Congress MP is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament.
In 2013, Gogoi married UK-born Elizabeth Colebourn. The following year, in 2014, he joined the Congress Party. The Congress leader and Elizabeth have two children, a son and a daughter.
Gogoi won the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 2014 from the Kaliabor constituency in Assam.
“Serious questions need to be answered regarding allegations of ISI links, leading young individuals to the Pakistan Embassy for brainwashing and radicalization, and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years. Additionally, participation in a conversion cartel and receiving funds from external sources, including George Soros, to destabilize national security are grave concerns that cannot be ignored. At some point, accountability will be necessary. Simply deflecting responsibility or attempting to shift the focus onto others will not serve as an easy escape route. The nation deserves transparency and truth,” the CM further wrote on X.
Sarma added, “Sooner or later, it will be known how foreign powers, led by George Soros’ ecosystem, influenced a major decision of Assam Congress in 2014. Hopefully, the truth will emerge in due course.”
