Himanta vs Gogoi turns personal; Assam CM targets Congress MP’s wife

A heated exchange on social media between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi turned personal on Sunday (April 27) over the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) raids against illegal coal mining in the state.

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Gogoi, Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, targeted BJP's Sarma over illegal coal mining. “ED exposes Assam’s illegal coal empire! ₹1.58 Crore cash seized. Fake invoices. 1200 tonnes of illegal coal extracted DAILY in Margherita, Jogighopa, Guwahati. All under the nose of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who kept denying illegal mining! (sic),” Gogoi posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday (April 26).

'Coal mafia'

“Coal mafia paid ₹1.27-₹1.5 lakh per truck to clear borders. Coal depots in Assam used to launder crime as ‘legal mining’. 15 sites raided, syndicate links confirmed between Meghalaya & Assam.

“Is this loot possible without the government's protection? Who is Assam’s real Syndicate Raja? When ED raids & HC summons expose the truth, how long will the CM hide behind denials? Dispur must answer. People of Assam demand accountability,” he added.

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To this, Sarma replied, “The Congress party today stands thoroughly exposed on the issue of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On one hand, @RahulGandhi and his camp are relentlessly maligning the ED, calling it a political tool. On the other hand, their own Deputy Leader is busy glorifying the very same agency. This doublespeak reflects the utter confusion and hypocrisy within Congress. In contrast, our position is principled and unwavering — we support all investigating agencies, regardless of whether their actions favour us or go against us (sic).”

Sarma's questions for Gogoi

To this, Gogoi retorted, “The Chief Minister hurriedly sidesteps the issue of illegal mining in Assam -Meghalaya. Isn’t he the NEDA chief ? 1200 tons of coal are moved daily and Rs 1.5 lac hafta is taken per truck. Papers are falsified and undeclared cash is hoarded. Who is responsible for protecting the syndicate? Will the Chief Minister ask the state police to arrest those who are politically important people and connected to the coal syndicate ? Who is the MLA in Margherita? Otherwise this ED will mean Extortion Department. And similar to electoral bonds scam these raids are being done to collect party funds for elections. Rumours also indicate that someone in Guwahati is unhappy because the Dispur tax was not paid (sic).”

Then the exchange turned personal with Sarma posting three questions to Gogoi on X, which was retorted with a similar number of queries by the MP on the same platform.

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Without naming anyone in his first post, Sarma asked a Congress MP whether he had stayed in Pakistan for a continuous period of 15 days and if his wife gets salary from an NGO of the neighbouring country.

"Questions for the Hon'ble Member of Parliament from the Congress Party: 1. Did you visit Pakistan for a continuous period of 15 days? If so, could you kindly clarify the purpose of your visit?" he asked.

The Chief Minister also questioned whether it is true that the MP's wife "continues to receive a salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while residing and working in India".

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"If so, may we ask why a Pakistan-based organisation is paying a salary for activities conducted in India?" Sarma questioned.

Citizenship status of Gogoi's wife, children

He also asked about the citizenship status of the parliamentarian's wife and two children.

"Are they Indian citizens, or do they hold the citizenship of any other country? Many more questions will follow," he added.

Sharing Sarma’s post, Gogoi countered the allegations with three questions from his end.

“Questions for the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam: 1) Will you resign if you fail to prove your allegations against me and my wife being agents of an enemy country? 2) Will you take questions on your own children and wife?” the Congress MP asked.

He also questioned whether the state police would arrest those “linked to coal mafia who are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared money”.

It was an apparent reference to ED's findings that illegal rat hole quarrying was being ‘rampantly’ done in Meghalaya and a ‘syndicate’ with people from both states ensured that trucks containing illegal coal cleared the borders of Meghalaya and entered into Assam. Gogoi had posted on X about this matter on Saturday.

“Waiting for the SIT report to be submitted,” Gogoi added to his post with the three questions, though he didn’t clarify which investigation he was referring to.

The state government had in February formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the alleged interference of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who is claimed to have links with Gogoi's British wife Elizabeth Colburn, in India's internal affairs.

Sarma clarifies

Responding to Gogoi’s post, Sarma said that he or his family had no connection with Pakistan and that ‘sufficient materials’ will be put in public domain in coming days to ‘expose’ the Congress MP’s links with the neighbouring nation.

“I would like to clarify that neither I nor my son and daughter have ever visited Pakistan. Furthermore, my wife and our entire family would never even think of accepting any salary or financial support from Pakistan,” he said.

He asserted that all members of his family, including his wife, son and daughter, are Indian citizens and none of his children has ever surrendered or renounced Indian citizenship.

Asking the Opposition leader for his reply, Sarma added, “In the coming days, sufficient material will be placed in the public domain exposing the connections between the concerned Congress Member of Parliament and Pakistan. Wait for 10th September 2025.” Gogoi, retorting again through X, said none of his questions had been answered and repeated the same three queries.

At the end of the questions, he added, “Wait for 2026”, indicating Assembly elections due next year.