Himanta creating ISI-link controversy in fear of losing 2026 Assam polls, claims Gogoi

Guwahati: Amid controversy over his British wife's alleged links with ISI, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday claimed that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's "fear of losing" the 2026 assembly polls is the main reason behind the recent developments.

Sarma and the BJP have been attacking Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, over his British wife Elizabeth Colburn's alleged connection with Pakistan’s spy agency.

"The BJP government in Assam can conduct their enquiry. Every Assamese person knows the real reason behind recent developments," Gogoi said in a post on X.

"Himanta Biswa Sarma is afraid that he will lose his chair and will have to face justice from the people of Assam after the 2026 assembly elections," he added.

The Assam Police on Monday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe a case against Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh for his social media comments on Assam and India's internal affairs.

The Assam Cabinet on Sunday decided not to register any case against the parliamentarian or his British spouse but instructed the DGP to file an FIR against the Pakistani national.

The state government also announced that it would write to the Centre to probe into Colburn's participation in Lok Sabha election campaigns in the erstwhile Kaliabor constituency, despite being a British citizen.

The Kaliabor constituency was won by the Congress MP twice.

Sheikh, an advisor of the Pakistan Planning Commission and a former colleague of Colburn, was charged under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In a press conference on Monday, the Lok Sabha MP had claimed that Sarma has been changing his stance every day.

"Earlier, the chief minister had attacked me and I was the villain. But since yesterday, he has made me the victim," Gogoi claimed.

Sarma had on Sunday said that the opposition leader might be "trapped or blackmailed" in the larger "anti-India" conspiracy and expressed sympathy for him.

The BJP leader had, last week, targeted the Assam MP over the issue, demanding responses to the allegations of ISI links.

Sarma had also alleged that the deputy leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha 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 also accused Gogoi's wife of having links with Pakistan and the neighbouring country's spy agency ISI, a charge rejected by the Congress leader as "laughable and entertaining".

Gogoi had alleged that the BJP took extreme steps to defame him and his family and asserted that he would take appropriate legal action against the saffron party in this regard.