New Delhi : The political slugfest in Assam escalated on Monday, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma sharpening his attack on Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over alleged links to Pakistan. In a fresh post on X following his nearly two-and-a-half-hour press conference, Sarma questioned Gogoi’s 2013 visit to Pakistan, flagging what he described as discrepancies in visa permissions and travel locations.
Sarma said Gogoi had disclosed that Takshashila (Taxila) is located not in Islamabad but in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi district, raising what he called a “serious and unavoidable question. If his Pakistan visa explicitly permitted travel only to Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, how did he visit Takshashila, which lies outside the Islamabad Capital Territory and within Rawalpindi District? Sarma asked, adding that Pakistan’s immigration rules do not allow travel beyond visa-designated cities without special authorisation.
Responding sharply, Gogoi accused the Chief Minister of manufacturing a controversy to divert attention from allegations surrounding land allegedly held by Sarma’s family. Addressing reporters in Guwahati, the Assam Congress president said the SIT report, which Sarma had cited, had been “buried” for six months because it failed to substantiate claims linking him to Pakistan. Gogoi linked the timing of the Chief Minister’s press conference to the Congress party’s mobilisation in the state. “The Congress party’s rising popularity forced him to act.
Calling the press meet a “super flop”, Gogoi later posted on X that even journalists present appeared unconvinced. “After two-and-a-half hours, what people saw was worse than a C-grade cinema,” he wrote. Sarma has alleged that Gogoi, his wife Elizabeth Colburn and Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh share a “deeper connection”, claiming sensitive information may have been passed to Pakistan. He has also suggested that Gogoi undertook a “confidential” visit to Pakistan in 2013 and may have received training there.
He also denied interfering with the investigation. “From day one, I have said the SIT should do its work and the report should be made public. The Chief Minister is not Chanakya,” Gogoi said, taking a swipe at Sarma’s political posturing. The Congress leader appeared visibly angry over references to his family during Sarma’s remarks. “He stooped so low that he even spoke about my minor children,” Gogoi said. “We also know about his children. Everyone knows. But we don’t drag families into politics.”
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