The political battle between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi intensified on Wednesday, as Sarma invoked alleged Pakistan links involving Gogoi’s wife and family, escalating an already heated exchange triggered by Gogoi’s address in Parliament on the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
A day after Gogoi launched a scathing critique of the Centre’s handling of Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, Sarma struck back with allegations that hinted at a possible “Pakistani connection” involving the Congress MP’s spouse, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi. Sarma warned that the matter could soon be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for a deeper probe.
"The speech delivered by our MP from Jorhat in Parliament yesterday proved beyond doubt he acts on behalf of Pakistan," Sarma wrote on social media platform X. “... and with his wife and both kids holding foreign citizenship, he can leave India any time.”
This is not the first time the Assam Chief Minister has levelled such claims. Earlier, he had set a deadline of 10 September to disclose what he termed “damning” evidence against the Congress MP and his wife, suggesting she was involved in activities that breached national security.
The renewed accusations follow Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP MP Dilip Saikia also targeting the Congress leader during parliamentary proceedings. While Shah questioned Gogoi’s foreign visits, Saikia went a step further by claiming that Gogoi’s wife was “on the payroll” of a Pakistan-based organisation.
Saikia also cited coverage by Pakistani media, which reportedly used clips from the Indian Parliament to criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as proof of the Congress MP’s alignment with “hostile interests”.
Also read: CM Sarma vs Gaurav Gogoi: War of words over Pakistan trip
Gogoi, for his part, dismissed the allegations with pointed sarcasm. “I went to Pakistan before Modiji went to Pakistan to eat biryani... I don't know why he (Amit Shah) brought that up,” he said.
"Today was the time for the present government to accept its failures. Instead... Amit Shah ji wanted to hide his failures behind the valour and the patriotism of the Indian military."
Shah shot back, saying, “You have been to Pak many times, Gogoi... ever been to the border?”
Sarma, seizing the moment, amplified the exchange by posting clips of the parliamentary debate and doubling down on the accusations.
The controversy has acquired a personal edge. Sarma, once a close political associate of Gaurav Gogoi’s father and former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, has sharpened his political rhetoric against the junior Gogoi in recent months. The CM’s allegations concerning foreign citizenship and national security breaches have further fuelled the row.
Gogoi, responding earlier in May, rejected the charges, asserting they were “outright lies” fabricated by Sarma. He acknowledged visiting Pakistan nearly 15 years ago, “when I was not a MP”, and dismissed suggestions of any current association with foreign entities as baseless.
With both sides digging in, the political storm is likely to intensify as the deadline mentioned by Sarma approaches. The episode, laden with personal attacks and national security innuendos, has added a dramatic dimension to Assam’s political theatre.
Follow us
