Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi today strongly refuted the allegations levelled against him by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma linking him and his family to Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi alleged that the Chief Minister had “sat on the SIT report for six months” because it had not supported his claims of Pakistan links. “If this was a matter of national security, why was the Chief Minister silent for six months? I have maintained from the beginning that I will cooperate with the SIT,” he said.
Clarifying the controversy surrounding his wife’s visit to Pakistan, Gogoi said that his wife, Elizabeth Colburn, had travelled to Pakistan in 2012–13 for professional reasons as part of an international climate project. “She was working with an international organization and was required to travel. We were newly married at the time, and I accompanied her. We first went to Lahore and then to Taxila. There was nothing secret or improper about the visit,” he said.
Gogoi added that he fully followed all visa procedures and that there was no objection from the central government at that time. “After becoming an MP, I submitted my passport to the Central Government in 2014. The passport has the stamps of crossing the borderline, besides the counter stamps of the Pakistani side. Thus, details of my Pakistan visit are with the Central Government.”
Responding to allegations regarding Elizabeth’s bank account in Pakistan, Gogoi clarified that his wife had opened a temporary account for project-related transactions, which she had closed after the end of the assignment. “Her salary was not paid in Pakistani currency. After her transfer to LEAD India from LEAD Pakistan, she received her dues from the Pakistani NGO once. However, she received her subsequent salaries from the NGO in India,” he said and added that the Chief Minister’s allegations were completely false.
Taking a strong exception to remarks made by the Chief Minister about his minor children, Gogoi said that dragging his five-year-old and nine-year-old children into a political dispute had crossed all limits.
“He stooped so low that he even disclosed information relating to my children. I also know about your children. Everyone in Guwahati knows where and how your children live. Do not force me to make those matters public. “Political fights should be between leaders, without involving children,” Gogoi said and added, “I’ll explore legal options in the AICC’s legal cell under the Juvenile Justice Act.”
Gogoi also accused the Chief Minister of spreading ‘communal hatred’ and demanded police action over a ‘now-deleted social media video’ allegedly shared by the Assam BJP. The video reportedly showed the chief minister aiming and firing a rifle at two individuals, one wearing a skullcap and the other with a beard, accompanied by the caption “point-blank shot.”
“The Congress’ popularity is rising. The CM was forced to hold a press conference after the Congress disclosed that 12,000 bighas of land have been held by his family,” Gogoi claimed.
Responding to a journalist’s question about allegations that he had endangered national security by raising questions in Parliament, Gogoi said, “Why can’t an MP from Assam ask questions about national security in Parliament? Why should an MP from Assam not raise questions on national security? Can MPs from Assam not think about the country? Can they not express views on international issues or India’s foreign policy? Are they ignorant of national politics and security? Do they lack knowledge? This may be the mentality of BJP MPs, but this is our duty.”
Replying to the Chief Minister’s allegation that Elizabeth had ‘transmitted confidential reports from India to Ali Tauqeer Sheikh’, Gaurav Gogoi said, “Working in an international NGO needs one to provide various analytical reports. The report she prepared was based on Indian media reports and information given by the Government of India, not on confidential information of the IB.”
Gogoi said that the Chief Minister had visited Bangladesh ten times. Showing a photograph of the Chief Minister with a Maulana in Bangladesh, Gogoi asked the Chief Minister to disclose what he had talked to the Muslim cleric about.
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