'Not right person to be in CM's chair': Gaurav Gogoi hits back at Himanta Biswa Sarma for disclosing children's details amid 'Pak agent' allegations

Guwahati (Assam): Assam Congress President and Jorhat MP, Gaurav Gogoi, on Monday hit back at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's 'Pakistan link' allegations, asking the Supreme Court to take suo-motu cognisance against the CM for disclosing his children's details to the media. Chief Minister Sarma released findings from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe alleging that Gaurav Gogoi, his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, and a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, share "deep links".

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Gaurav Gogoi slammed CM Sarma for disclosing information about his children, calling him unfit for the Chief Ministerial position.

He said, "He went to such a low level that he even disclosed information relating to my children. We also know about his children; everyone knows it, but we don't want to disclose it. He has proved that he is not the right person to be in the Chief Minister's chair. What they are saying has shamed Assam. Why are they spreading false information? The Supreme Court should take a suo-motu case against it." Refuting the allegations levelled against him, Gaurav Gogoi said that the SIT could not produce any evidence.

He said, "Yesterday, in the 2.5-hour-long press conference, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma could not produce any evidence which could prove that I am an agent of another country. He kept beating around the bush. He had the SIT report for the last 6 months. Last year, he said he would release the SIT report to the public on September 10. If this concerns national security, our only question is: why was the CM silent on this report for the past 6 months? It is because the SIT constituted by him was unsuccessful in presenting any evidence..."

The Congress MP again alleged that CM Sarma's family illegally held 12,000 bighas (nearly 4,000 acres) of land across Assam. While he agreed to cooperate with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter, he demanded that the SIT report be released. Gogoi said," The main fact behind yesterday's long press conference is the Congress party's rising popularity...If it were a matter of national security, why was he (Assam CM) sitting idle for the last six months? The CM was forced to hold a press conference after the Congress party disclosed that 12,000 bighas of land are held by the CM's family."

"From the beginning, I have been saying that I will not go against the SIT investigation. I would like the SIT report released. CM is not Chanakya... I am not addressing this press conference to react to what the CM has said, but to give respect to the media and the people of Assam. I am in politics to raise the issues of the people of Assam. Let them decide," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi also criticised the Chief Minister, calling his press conference a "propaganda" and "cinema" ahead of the Assembly polls. Bordoloi said, "Just 50-60 days before the elections, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday addressed a press conference. BJP is doing propaganda, making cinema. Like Kerala Story, Vivek Agnihotri's Kashmir Files, Assam CM also wants to do something." Bordoloi hit back by reminding that former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani visited Pakistan in 2005 and PM Narendra Modi also visited the neighbouring country in 2015.

He added, "Gaurav Gogoi's crime was to visit Pakistan. He (the Assam CM) spread various stories. In 2005, LK Advani visited Pakistan, and he praised Mahammad Ali Jinnah. The current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Lahore, Pakistan, along with eight MPs. He tasted biriyani with Nawaz Sharif. This is a funny story against Gaurav Gogoi. The main underlying of the story is to make Gaurav Gogoi a Pakistani agent. We all know the main aim of this. Congress has started Parivartan Yatra. While the Congress party disclosed all things about how the CM family grabbed 12,000 bighas of land, he described a story. This is totally baseless." Earlier on Sunday, addressing a press conference here, Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi worked in Pakistan from March 18, 2011, to March 17, 2012, and her family had close ties with Ali Tauqeer Sheikh.

The Assam CM said, "I was in Singapore with a proposal to invest in Assam. At that time, this photo went viral, showing Assam's MP Gaurav Gogoi taking some youth to the Pakistan Embassy. Abdul Basit was the then High Commissioner of Pakistan to India. In a manner, he attempted to legitimise Pakistan. If you see this photo in the backdrop of the Kargil War, Captain Jintu Gogoi from Assam sacrificed himself for the nation. Several others sacrificed themselves to the nation."

Sarma said, "Followed by this, Abdul Basit paid a visit to Assam also. But an Ambassador can always come, I don't want to go on for long. But following this picture, he came to Assam also. Then we tried to lift the veil, and there must be something more. We searched and found that Gaurav Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, was working in Pakistan from March 18, 2011, to March 17, 2012. Then we searched further on different open source and social media. We found that the family is very closely connected with a person called Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. She worked in Pakistan, and during that period, they became very close to a Pakistani gentleman called Ali Tauqeer Sheikh."

Further, the Chief Minister stated that the state cabinet has decided that the matter should be investigated by a central agency. He said the case will be transferred to the Centre once the state receives an affirmative response.