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Assam CM vs Gogoi: Himanta questions Congress MP's family ties to Pak, gets counter
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma traded barbs over alleged links of their families with Pakistan and alleged coal mining scam
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi exchanged barbs on social media over the alleged Pakistani links of the opposition leader's family member, even as hundreds of individuals from the neighbouring country continue to leave the country after India's new visa restrictions.
Without naming Gogoi in his first post on X, Sarma questioned Gogoi and his wife's links with the neighbouring country. “Questions for the Hon'ble Member of Parliament from the Congress Party: 1. Did you visit Pakistan for a continuous period of 15 days? If so, could you kindly clarify the purpose of your visit?” he asked.
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Sarma also asked whether it is true that the MP's wife “continues to receive a salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while residing and working in India.”
“If so, may we ask why a Pakistan-based organisation is paying a salary for activities conducted in India?” he added.
Referring to Gogoi's wife and their two children, Sarma asked, “Are they Indian citizens, or do they hold the citizenship of any other country? Many more questions will follow.”
‘Will you resign,’ asks Gogoi
Gaurav Gogoi hit back at Sarma on Saturday, posting three questions to counter the allegations. “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.
The Jorhat MP also asked whether the state police would arrest those “linked to coal mafia who are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared money”.
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Gaurav Gogoi was referring, without mention, to recent findings by the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) 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.
The BJP government in Assam has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the alleged interference of a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh in India's internal affairs. Sheikh is claimed to have links with Gogoi's British wife Elizabeth Colburn.
‘Wait for 10th September 2025’ vs ‘Wait for 2026’
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hit back at Gogoi and claimed that his family has “no connection” with Pakistan and vowed to put out “sufficient materials” in the public domain to expose Gogoi's links with the neighbouring country.
“I would like to clarify that neither I nor my son and daughter have ever visited Pakistan. Furthermore, my wife and our entire family would never even think of accepting any salary or financial support from Pakistan,” he said.
Sarma added, “In the coming days, sufficient material will be placed in the public domain exposing the connections between the concerned Congress Member of Parliament and Pakistan. Wait for 10th September 2025.”
Gogoi responded to Sarma again saying none of his questions were answered by the BJP leader and wrote, “Wait for 2026”, indicating the upcoming election to the state legislative assembly.
