Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress State President Gaurav Gogoi (Images/Agencies)
NEW DELHI: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday launched a sharp counterattack on chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over allegations of Pakistan links, calling the CM’s press conference as “superflop” and accusing him of diverting attention from serious questions over his family’s land holdings in the state.Gogoi said that Sarma should instead explain how he and his family acquired nearly 4000 acres of prime land across Assam and alleged that the issue was being deliberately diverted through baseless accusations.The political spat escalated after Sarma, addressing a press conference ahead of Assam assembly polls, alleged that Gogoi, his British wife Elizabeth Colburn and Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh shared a “deeper connection”. The chief minister claimed that sensitive information was shared with Pakistan and said the matter involved national security.Gogoi dismissed the claims as “mindless and bogus” and accused Sarma of embarrassing himself before the media. In a post on X, Gogoi wrote: “Himanta Biswa Sarma has embarrassed himself on the stage in front of local and national media. After 2.5 hours press conference even the journalists in the room remain unconvinced. Nobody in Assam is taking his words seriously. #SuperFlop.” The Congress state President also renewed his demand for an explanation from the chief minister over land ownership.”He should rather explain how and his family managed to acquire 12,000 bighas or 4000 acres of prime property across Assam. When we will come to power, we will take those lands and distribute amongst the poor and landless,” Gogoi wrote.Speaking to reporters, Gogoi said, “I think the Chief Minister has embarrassed himself on national stage. After a two and a half hour long press conference, he was not even able to convince the journalists in the room. If you listen to the questions asked by the journalists, even they were not convinced. And therefore, you know, the Chief Minister thinks that the people of Assam do not have any intelligence, do not have any knowledge. So, he should respect the people of Assam. People of Assam know who is the ultimate deceitful Chief Minister.” Sarma alleged that Gogoi undertook a “very confidential” visit to Pakistan in 2013 without informing authorities and suggested that Colburn received payments through Pakistani-linked channels while working in India. The chief minister emphasized that the investigation had reached a stage beyond state-level probing, saying the case involves national security and must be referred to central agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, NIA, IB or CBI.Gogoi, however, rejected all allegations as politically motivated, saying, “If my wife is an ISI agent of Pakistan, then I am a R&AW agent of India,” and accused Sarma of attempting to divert attention from controversies surrounding him.
