GUWAHATI, Feb 13: In an apparent attack on Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday levelled a series of allegations that the MP raised questions in Parliament on sensitive defence matters after his marriage to a British citizen, a charge termed by the opposition leader as a “false accusation”.
Sarma’s comment comes a day after the BJP had accused Gogoi’s wife of having links with Pakistan and the ISI.
The deputy opposition leader in the Lok Sabha rejected the allegation as “laughable and entertaining”.
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“In 2015, the Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Mr Abdul Basit, invited a first-term Member of Parliament (MP) and his startup, Policy for Youth, to discuss India-Pakistan relations at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi,” Sarma claimed in a post on X without naming Gogoi.
The chief minister also said that the MP concerned was not a member of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs at that time, which raised “questions about the intent behind his engagement”.
Sarma claimed that the visit occurred “despite India’s official protest against the Pakistani High Commission’s interference in internal matters, particularly its involvement with the Hurriyat Conference”.
He also accused the MP of ignoring these concerns and taking 50 to 60 young Indians to meet Pakistani officials.
“A closer examination of his parliamentary questions revealed a growing focus on sensitive defence matters, including inquiries about Coast Guard radar installations, India’s arms factories, aeronautical defence, transit routes for trade with Iran, Kashmiri students, and alleged attacks on churches – marking a noticeable shift in his areas of interest.
“Interestingly, these developments occurred immediately after his marriage to a British citizen with a professional background that raises further questions,” Sarma alleged.
The chief minister also claimed that before their marriage, she had worked for an American senator known for close ties with the Pakistani establishment.
“…and later (she) spent time in Pakistan, employed by an organisation widely believed to be a front for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The timing of these events adds another layer of intrigue to the MP’s evolving political stance and actions,” Sarma alleged.
Continuing his tirade, the CM in another post said, ‘Such a high-level interaction with the ambassador of an adversarial nation requires MEA approval and a post-meeting debriefing. Hope the Hon’ble MP complied with these requirements, as national security must always take precedence over politics’.
He followed this by posting a series of questions that Gogoi had asked in Lok Sabha in March 2017 related to the coastal surveillance system.
Sarma claimed that after the meeting in the Pakistan High Commission, defence and security questions were raised in Parliament.
‘The 26/11 Mumbai attacks exposed critical vulnerabilities in India’s coastal security. In this context, questions raised by the Hon’ble MP, specifically sought detailed information on coastal radar stations, including their specifications and costs,’ Sarma said.
The chief minister wondered why an MP from landlocked Assam would seek “classified details” on coastal radar systems and what was the necessity of putting such sensitive information in the public domain.
‘Why was this inquiry made shortly after the MP’s meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner? Given the national security implications, can this be dismissed as a mere coincidence?’ the Chief minister asked.
Rejecting these allegations, Gogoi told PTI Video that the BJP has no issues to raise and is dependent on “false accusations”.
The people of India are very active politically and are aware of the lies and confusion that the BJP is spreading, the senior Congress leader said.
“Let them spread lies and we will continue to do our work. Assembly elections are due in Assam next year and we will raise issues of the state like unemployment and inflation while in Manipur, peace is yet to be restored. In a democracy the people are God and I have full faith in them,” Gogoi said.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia had on Wednesday alleged that some serious concerning facts related to national security had come to light.
“Links of Elizabeth Colburn, the wife of deputy leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, with Pakistan Planning Commission Advisor Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and the ISI, have come to light,” he claimed.
This is “extremely concerning” as it relates to national security, he said and demanded the Congress leadership and Gogoi issue a clarification.
Gogoi’s wife is a foreign citizen and the organisation for which she works is funded by US-based billionaire investor George Soros, Bhatia alleged.
Gogoi hit back saying that the BJP resorted to such “baseless allegations” as it has no issue to raise.
‘The accusations are laughable and entertaining. If my wife is an ISI agent, then I am a RAW agent’, he quipped.
He claimed that the BJP had carried out a similar “smear campaign” against him and his family ahead of last year’s Lok Sabha polls and the people, in reply, elected him from the Jorhat parliamentary constituency.
Gogoi alleged that various land scams by the chief minister’s family had been reported to BJP leaders in Delhi.
“Fearing that he might lose his chair, he is trying to divert attention by launching a smear campaign against me and my family,” the Congress leader said. (PTI)
