Guwahati, Jan 9 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday that details of state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi’s purported Pakistan links will be revealed within this month.
He also slammed the opposition leader over the British citizenship of his wife and children, claiming that Assamese people will never allow such a person to enter their ‘bor ghor’ (revered place).
The Assam CM and the BJP have been attacking Lok Sabha MP Gogoi over his wife’s alleged connection with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.
“The documents relating to Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistan links are being readied. Our officers are working on it. We will give it to you all before February. In fact, before the end of January, it will be revealed,” Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a government programme at Goreswar.
He said the delay in making the documents public was due to the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg in September.
Asked if this revelation will prevent Gogoi from contesting state polls expected in March-April, Sarma said, “Pakistan is our enemy country. The question is not whether of fighting elections but whether someone can have links with that country.” He also questioned Gogoi for not changing the citizenship of his two children.
“Assuming that he wants to become the chief minister of Assam, and he has a wife and two children who are not Indians. How will officers be able to visit his home and speak to him?” Sarma said.
“Assamese people understand all these well and won’t allow such people to enter the ‘bor ghor’,” he added, in an apparent reference to the position of the chief minister.
Later, addressing a press conference after a Cabinet meeting in Guwahati later, Sarma said, “We wanted to reveal the details sometime in September itself. But Zubeen Garg died unfortunately on September 19.” The state government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe a case of alleged interference of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who was claimed to have links with Gogoi’s British wife Elizabeth Colburn, in India’s internal affairs.
The SIT had submitted its report to Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, on September 10, the date which was initially set by the chief minister for providing evidence to back his accusations against Gogoi.
Sarma said a ‘small clarification’ under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act is awaited from the Ministry of Home Affairs, but even if it doesn’t come, the details will be made public.
“Even if it doesn’t come, we will share with the media as much as is possible and send the rest to the Central government,” he added.
“It is a big conspiracy and the people of Assam must know it. These documents we have are just the beginning. What we have got is just 10 per cent, the government of India will get the entire 100 per cent,” Sarma claimed.
The CM had earlier alleged that Gogoi had visited Pakistan on an invitation from its spy agency ISI and undergone training there, and that he worked closely with the establishment of the neighbouring nation.
He also claimed that Colburn was collecting various classified government documents, mainly IB reports, on behalf of the Pakistani climate lobby.
Hitting back, Gogoi had slammed Sarma over his accusation and said the CM’s remarks were “ridiculous, baseless, insane and nonsense” and that he was behaving like an “IT cell troll” without talking with facts. PTI SSG NN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.