Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a fresh attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, calling him a “Pakistani agent” who has allegedly been “planted by foreign powers” in India.
Having made the claim, Biswa Sarma challenged Gogoi to file a defamation case against him if he had the “courage” to do so.
“Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent. He is a pure Pakistani agent. If he has the courage, lodge a defamation case against me. What I have is the evidence, he is a 100 per cent Pakistani agent. He has been planted by foreign power in our country. He is a planted person. I am saying this with facts. As a Chief Minister, I am saying that he is a pure Pakistani agent. After giving justice to Zubeen Garg, I will prove it,” the Assam CM said, ramping up the tirade against the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
The Biswa Sarma versus Gogoi saga has been continuing for several months, adding to the political tensions in Assam a year before Assembly elections are due.
Biswa Sarma’s accusations are centred around claims of foreign links involving Gogoi’s wife, British national Elizabeth Colburn.
The CM has alleged time and again that Colburn has connections with Pakistan-based individuals and organisations, stemming from what Biswa Sarma described as a SIT report submitted to the Assam Cabinet.
Details of the report are yet to be made public due to its “sensitive nature”.
Gogoi and his wife have categorically denied the allegations made by Biswa Sarma.
Dismissing the claims as baseless, Kaliabor MP Gogoi has said these are politically motivated, aimed to divert public attention from pressing governance issues in Assam.
Biswa Sarma had said a few months ago that he would present ‘evidence’ in September, but no concrete proof has been presented in public.