Don't want to involve with dirty, baseless politics: Gaurav Gogoi on Himanta's ISI-link allegations

Guwahati: Instead of getting involved in "dirty and baseless" politics, the Congress is working on how to give a new economy, social order, education and health policy to Assam, Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi said on Sunday.

Reacting to the controversy surrounding his British wife Elizabeth Colburn's alleged links with ISI, Gogoi claimed that the Pakistani intelligence agency "has been able to infiltrate the ruling BJP" instead of the Congress.

"If you slightly go into history, ISI agents were arrested in Madhya Pradesh and they were in the BJP party. They were in the BJP IT cell. So far, ISI has not been able to infiltrate Congress, but already it's inside the BJP," he added.

Gogoi said that he has only been alleged to have links, but BJP party members were arrested by Anti-Terrorist Squad in 2017 for "having links with the ISI." "Who welcomed ISI? Our CM is talking about 10 year-old incidents. In 2016, who had invited ISI to Pathankot? It was the BJP government. When did the PM go to have Biryani? He went there in 2015 to eat Biryani. Why was there no protest to that?" he asked.

The three-time Congress MP said that arguments and counter arguments will continue but the people of Assam expect a lot from politicians.

"Instead of doing such dirty and baseless politics, our main aim is to deliberate on how we can give a new economy, social order, education policy and health policy to Assam," he added.

Gogoi also slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the latter's remarks on the MP asking questions related to India's defence sector inside the Lok Sabha.

"The CM does not know an MP's duties and responsibilities... We organised a forum for foreign policy and a lot of people came to discuss it. Many prominent people came and I have already mentioned about it. Tomorrow, I will speak with proof of how top BJP leaders came and took part in my forum.

"This all was happening during the last 10 years. Whose government was there in the last 10 years? He does not know the rules and speaks with half knowledge. I have no objection to that if he wants to spend the next 12 months like this only. I am grateful for that," the Congress leader said.

Sarma had earlier last week targeted Gogoi over the issue, demanding answers regarding the allegations of ISI links, "leading young individuals to the Pakistan embassy for brainwashing and radicalisation, and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years", referring to Colburn's nationality status.

He had also alleged that Gogoi had raised questions in Parliament on sensitive defence matters after his marriage to the British citizen, a charge termed by the opposition leader as a "false accusation".

The BJP had on Wednesday accused Gogoi's wife of having links with Pakistan and the ISI, a charge rejected by the Congress leader as "laughable and entertaining".

Gogoi on Friday said that the BJP went to extreme steps to defame him and his family and asserted that he would be taking appropriate legal action, while he penned a letter in Assamese addressed to his wife and shared it as a post on Facebook on Saturday, assuring her that truth shall prevail.