Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (left) and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi (right).
Credit: PTI Photos
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan links is “very damaging and damning.”
Sarma said the state Cabinet held a preliminary discussion on the report, which was submitted to the government on September 10.
“We had an informal discussion on the report today, and we will make it public later before journalists, including those from Delhi,” Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.
“It is a very bad report and should be shared with a larger audience. As he (Gogoi) is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, people across the country should know about it. We will invite mediapersons from Delhi as well, so that they know his actual character,” the chief minister said.
Sarma’s allegations that Gogoi had visited Pakistan several times and that his wife, Elizabeth — a British national — had links with Pakistan have triggered a political storm in Assam. Gogoi admitted he had visited Pakistan once, after his marriage in 2014, but rejected the allegations of any links between him or his wife and Pakistan.
Following the controversy, Sarma set up the SIT in February, and the report was expected to be made public on September 10. However, Sarma did not release it then, saying the report needed to be discussed in the Cabinet first. He also said the sudden death of iconic singer Zubeen Garg on September 19 had delayed its release.
On Monday, Sarma said only a summary of the report would be released, not the full document, citing “sensitive contents.”
“There are many official secrets and statements of several people recorded in the report. We will therefore publish the gist and the documents annexed to the report, so that people can refer to it,” he said.
Reacting to Sarma’s remarks, Gogoi and the Congress accused the chief minister of trying to tarnish his image for political mileage ahead of the Assembly elections slated early next year.
Gogoi also challenged Sarma to make the full report public by uploading it online instead of releasing selective portions.