Staff Reporter
Guwahati: Following some revelations by APCC president and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi in a press conference on February 9, the Assam government will now send a modified SIT report to the Centre. On February 8, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma had made public the SIT’s findings on Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan links.
Addressing a press conference today, the Chief Minister revealed that a modified SIT report, incorporating the disclosures made by Gaurav Gogoi, will be sent to the Government of India soon.
During today’s press conference, the CM said that Gaurav Gogoi had revealed two new facts about his Pakistan visit during his last press meet on February 9. Gogoi had stated that he had also visited Rawalpindi during his Pakistan tour. The second was that Gogoi’s wife had taken one month’s salary directly from Pakistan.
The CM said, “We were not aware of these two facts earlier. Now, we’re incorporating these facts into the SIT report and sending the modified report to the Government of India.”
Earlier, the Assam cabinet had taken a decision to send the report on SIT’s findings to the Ministry of Home Affairs for further investigation by a central agency.
Responding to a question by a reporter, the CM maintained that “no one will let go of a matter when Pakistan is involved,” adding, “Union Home Minister Amit Shah is a man of deeds rather than words. His silence is indicative of a storm.”
The CM went on to assert that the investigations into Gogoi’s ‘Pakistan links’ have nothing to do with the upcoming state elections. “We don’t need this for winning the election; we are already far ahead. This is a struggle so that Pakistan cannot enter Dispur; we’ve to save the country,” he added.
During the press meet today, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma shot back at senior AICC leader Pawan Khera, who had attached a photograph of Sarma with a ‘maulana’ in Bangladesh in a post on X. “That person also visited Tarun Gogoi’s Koinadhara residence. Gaurav Gogoi had also met with the person at a residence in Guwahati’s Machkhowa. When I was in the Congress, I had a whole lot of photos with maulanas. It was a practice during the Congress’ tenure. We used to go and have a photograph session. What’s wrong with that? They always tell a half-story. Let them deny that the person went to meet Tarun Gogoi. All my photos are on social media. I don’t delete my photos. I posted photographs even when I visited Bangladesh. What’s there to hide about it? I have nothing against Sufism; I’ve visited many dargahs,” he stressed.
The CM also took to X to post, “Shri @Pawankhera ji is publicly sharing my photo with a Maulana. This is actually a case of the arrow boomeranging back... For his information, let me clarify that the same Maulana had come to the residence of the respected Tarun Gogoi ji when he was Chief Minister and had also met his son Gaurav Gogoi... And one more thing – when I was in Congress, I was often asked to meet various Maulanas. This was also one of the reasons why I left that party.”
The Chief Minister further said in today’s press meet that a whistleblower from within the Congress has told police that three persons, associated with a political consultancy group engaged by the opposition party, have “connived for getting ink thrown on Gaurav Gogoi and shifting the blame to BJP”.
He said police have recorded the information and called the individuals concerned as a preventive measure.
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