Himanta’s ‘drop MP’s name’ jibe at Cong after Gogoi named in outreach team
Himanta makes it clear that he is referring to Jorhat MP by reiterating his allegation of Gogoi having a Pakistan link
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday (May 17) urged Rahul Gandhi to drop the name of the MP from Assam from his party’s list of suggested MPs for the outreach delegation on Operation Sindoor. He urged Rahul to drop the MP’s names "in the interest of national security".
His comment comes at a time when the Congress has been left red-faced, with the Centre including Shashi Tharoor in the delegation while the party ignored him in its list of suggested names.
Doesn’t take Gogoi’s name
Although the chief minister did not directly name Gogoi, the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, he made it amply clear that he was referring to the Jorhat MP by reiterating his allegations of Gogoi having a Pakistan link.
Gogoi was in the list of MPs suggested by the Congress for the delegation. The three other names proposed by Congress were Anand Sharma, Dr Syed Naseer Hussain, and Raja Brar.
Also Read: Himanta vs Gogoi turns personal; Assam CM targets Congress MP’s wife
Allegation of Pakistan link
This comes against the backdrop of Sarma’s repeated allegations against Gogoi regarding his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn. The chief minister had also alleged that the Jorhat MP had stayed for 15 days in the neighbouring country without informing the authorities.
“One of the MPs named in the list (from Assam) has not denied his prolonged stay in Pakistan—reportedly for two weeks—and credible documents show that his wife was drawing salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while working in India," Sarma stated in a post on X.
“In the interest of national security and beyond partisan politics, I urge the leader of the opposition Sri Rahul Gandhi not to include this individual in such a sensitive and strategic assignment,” he added.
Also Read: Cong slams Assam CM over spokesperson's arrest, calls it 'worse than atrocious'
The chief minister’s salvo comes after senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a social media post revealed the names his party suggested for the delegation.
The Congress on Saturday said it was asked by the government to submit the names of four MPs for the diplomatic outreach after Operation Sindoor.
Gogoi’s denial
Gogoi, however, has vehemently denied the allegations. Earlier, he posed three counter-questions in response to those raised by Sarma, accusing him of having a Pakistan connection.
“Questions for the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam 1) Will you resign if you fail to prove your allegations of me and my wife being agents of an enemy country? 2) Will you take questions on your own children and wife? 3) Will the state police arrest those linked to the coal mafia who make are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared money?” Gogoi asked in a post on X last month.