Gaurav Gogoi, his wife are Pakistani agents, claims Assam CM

Jorhat: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, January 29, alleged that state Congress Gaurav Gogoi and his British wife are “Pakistani agents”, and dared the opposition leader to file a case against him.

The Assam CM and the BJP have been attacking Lok Sabha MP Gogoi over his wife’s alleged connection with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI. They even claim that the Congress leader has “direct links” with the neighbouring nation.

“Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent, and his wife is also a Pakistani (agent). If he has courage, let him go and file a case against me,” Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of an official function.

On Tuesday, the CM had said the state cabinet will take a formal decision on the future course of action on the SIT report on Gogoi’s alleged links with Pakistan on February 7.

When asked about the Congress leader’s statement that he is not scared by the allegations, the CM said, “Then it is good for him.”

Sarma further said, “In today’s history, the entire Congress is Badan Barphukan, who has invited the Miyas and made them settle here. We will have to fight and will continue to fight.”

Badan Chandra Barphukan was one of the generals of the Ahom kingdom. In 1817, he had invited the Burmese army to help him become the king. The Ahom empire fell and was taken over by the British. He is generally held responsible for the beginning of foreign rule in Assam and Northeast India.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probed a case of alleged interference of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who was claimed to have links with Gogoi’s British wife Elizabeth Colburn, in India’s internal affairs.

Sarma had said that Colburn was examined by the SIT sleuths during the course of the investigation, besides quizzing 22-25 more people.

He also claimed that Colburn had travelled 19 times between India and Pakistan. The CM alleged that Gogoi had visited Pakistan on an invitation from its spy agency ISI and undergone training there, and that he had worked closely with the establishment of the neighbouring nation.

He also claimed that Colburn was collecting various classified government documents, mainly IB reports, on behalf of the Pakistani climate lobby.

Hitting back, Gogoi had slammed Sarma over his accusation and questioned his mental state due to issues at the home front. He even said the CM’s remarks were “ridiculous, baseless, insane and nonsense” and that he was behaving like an “IT cell troll” without talking with facts.