Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday, February 9, hit back at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over allegations of his alleged links with Pakistan, saying he will explore legal measures against the CM. Speaking at a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi, the deputy leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, dared Sarma to make the SIT report public, questioning why the CM had remained silent over the findings for the past six months.
Gogoi criticized Sarma for disclosing details about his minor children and said the Supreme Court should take suo-motu notice of the matter. He claimed that the CM’s conduct had shamed the entire northeast state and questioned why false information was being spread about him. “Sarma is not the right person to be a Chief Minister,” he added.
Addressing Sarma’s 2.5-hour-long press conference on Sunday, Gogoi said the CM failed to present any evidence proving he was an agent of another country. “If this concerns national security, why was the CM silent on this report for six months? The SIT constituted by him could not present any evidence,” he stated. He reiterated that he has always been willing to cooperate with the SIT and called for the report to be released publicly.
Sarma has alleged that Gogoi and his wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, provided information to Pakistan through Pakistani agent Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. According to the CM, Sheikh visited India 13 times between 2010 and 2013 during Congress’ rule, and Elizabeth allegedly shared information regarding India’s climate actions after 2014. Sarma also claimed that Elizabeth visited Pakistan six times for work and used the Attari border in Punjab for travel.
The CM further accused Gogoi of failing to disclose Elizabeth’s Pakistani bank account in his election affidavit and said his government has recommended a probe by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Gogoi, however, rejected all allegations, calling the CM’s accusations politically motivated and without proof.
