Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi’s admission of a 12-year-old visit to Pakistan was "just the beginning" of something "far more serious."
Claiming that there are credible inputs suggesting Gogoi's "proximity" with Pakistan, Sarma, posted on X: "Congress MP Shri Gaurav Gogoi has admitted that he visited Pakistan. But let us be very clear -- this is just the beginning, not the end. What lies ahead is far more serious. There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible inputs and documented information, to suggest that Shri Gogoi has maintained proximity with the Pakistani establishment.”
"His wife monitored Intelligence Bureau (IB) documents and quoted those in her reports. That means she must have someone in the IB. It is a very very serious allegation. I have documents to prove that his wife Elizabeth Colburn was involved in collecting various intelligence reports," the CM claimed.
Talking about Gogoi, Sarma said, "He is out-and-out a Pakistani agent. Both husband and wife are deeply involved in anti-India activities. Their entire relationship was with the Pakistani establishment... They maintained this relationship till around 2017-18." Sarma also claimed that the Congress' Pakistan lobby colluded to replace Bhupen Kumar Borah with Gogoi as the Assam chief of the opposition party.
Earlier on Wednesday, addressing at a news conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, Gogoi asked why the BJP government at the Centre had not acted for the last 11 years if there was any wrongdoing and claimed that Sarma was making these allegations with the intention of creating doubts in the minds of the Congress leadership about his credentials.
"Allegations are made and I would like to clarify that people of the state are not misled. About 14-15 years ago, my wife, who is a well-known expert in public policy, worked on an international project in South Asia focused on climate change. She spent one year in Pakistan before returning to India around 2012-13," he said.
"Since then, she has continued her work and took a new job in 2015. I also remember going with her once in 2013. Their (the BJP's) job is defamation and by raking this issue they are creating this whole thing like a C-grade Bollywood movie which they have said would be released on September 10. But that is going to be a flop miserably," he said.
Earlier this month, Sarma alleged that Gogoi visited Pakistan on an invitation from its spy agency ISI, and that he worked closely with the establishment of the neighbouring nation.
Sarma had asserted that the government has documentary evidence to support this claim, and “every proof will be presented before the public by September 10” after proper verification.
"Gaurav Gogoi visited Pakistan on an invitation of the ISI. For the first time, I am saying this. We have documents of the same. He did not go for tourism purposes. He went there definitely for taking training.
"... He was (working) closely with the Pakistan establishment. When does the Home Department send an invitation? It is only to impart training; An invitation from the foreign affairs (department) or any university is altogether a different thing. This was not from the foreign affairs or cultural departments. He went there on a direct invitation from the home department of Pakistan,” Sarma claimed.
Sarma had said the Assam government is committed to transparency and accountability and will make everything public on September 10, once the Special Investigation Team (SIT) concludes its comprehensive inquiry.
Sharing Sarma’s post, Gogoi then countered with three questions from his end.
“Questions for the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam: 1) Will you resign if you fail to prove your allegations against me and my wife being agents of an enemy country? 2) Will you take questions on your own children and wife?” the Congress MP asked.
He also questioned whether the state police would arrest those “linked to coal mafia who are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared money”.
It was an apparent reference to Enforcement Directorate's findings that illegal rat hole quarrying was being ‘rampantly’ done in Meghalaya and a ‘syndicate’ with people from both states ensured that trucks containing illegal coal cleared the borders of Meghalaya and entered into Assam.
Earlier this year, Sarma raked the issue in a X post and asked whether it is true that the Gogoi's wife "continues to receive a salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while residing and working in India". He also asked about the citizenship status of the parliamentarian's wife Elizabeth Colburn and two children.
Gogoi, who the BJP has accused of having links with the Inter-Services Intelligence, has earlier echoed the Centre’s stance and criticised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout granted to Pakistan and advocated for a firm push to return the country to the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Speaking to news agency ANI, Gogoi earlier expressed that the $2.5 billion bailout will be used to rebuild Pakistani military infrastructure. “My fear is the damage the Indian Armed Forces caused to the Pakistani military infrastructure. They will repair this damage using IMF money. We have to ensure that Pakistan does not get any additional funding for its Military-Terrorist-Intelligence nexus.”
Gaurav, the 1982-born three-term MP, is the son of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi.
