NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, alleging that he had visited Pakistan on “ISI’s invitation.”Speaking to reporters, Sarma claimed, “Gaurav Gogoi visited Pakistan on ISI’s invitation, we have documentary evidence to support the claim. Gogoi worked closely with Pakistani establishment.”“We will present every proof by September 10,” he added.Further, taking a veiled dig at Gogoi, Sarma said, “I request the Congress MP to inform us if any BJP MP has traveled to Pakistan for personal reasons without notifying the administration. We will certainly pass this information on to our national president.”
The ugly Sarma vs Gogoi fight
Earlier, Sarma had posted a series of pointed questions on X regarding the MP’s alleged visit to Pakistan and his family’s ties to a Pakistan-based NGO. Without naming Gogoi directly, Sarma had asked whether the Congress leader had visited Pakistan for 15 consecutive days and demanded clarification on the purpose of the trip.“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?” Sarma had said in his post. “If so, may we ask why a Pakistan-based organisation is paying a salary for activities conducted in India?” Sarma had questioned.Responding to the CM, Gogoi had hit back, asking if Sarma would resign in case he fails to prove his allegations. “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 coal mafia who make are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared money? Waiting for the SIT report to be submitted,” Gogoi wrote on X.The exchange of words didn’t stop at Gogoi’s questions as Sarma responded to the Congress leader, saying “sufficient material will be placed in the public domain exposing the connections between the concerned Congress Member of Parliament and Pakistan”.“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. All members of my family, including my wife, son, and daughter, are Indian citizens. None of my children has ever surrendered or renounced Indian citizenship. Now, it is your turn to answer. 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,” the Assam CM wrote in a reply to Gogoi.Gogoi again repeated his questions in response to the Assam CM’s assertions. “None of the questions answered. I will repeat. 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 coal mafia who make are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared money? Wait for 2026,” the Congress MP wrote.Sarma further alleged that the MP’s wife “continues to receive a salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while residing and working in India.” In another claim, Sarma said that only Gogoi in his family holds Indian citizenship, while his two children have surrendered theirs. “The father of the children who is an MP surrendered their citizenship. It is not the children, who are innocent, but their father who surrendered it. I wonder how the children will react when they grow up and realise that they are not a citizen of a country where their grandfather was the chief minister of a state for 15 years,” Sarma said. “This is both morally and legally wrong,” he added.