Gaurav Gogoi Hits Back at CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Allegations, Calls SIT Report “Super Flop”

Guwahati: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday launched a blistering counterattack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of political desperation and fabricating allegations over alleged Pakistan links.

Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan today, Gogoi said the controversy around the SIT report and the Chief Minister’s recent marathon press briefing only exposed the BJP government’s nervousness as Congress regains political momentum in the state.

Gogoi claimed that the Chief Minister had initially been reluctant to make the SIT report public, but was eventually forced to do so due to mounting political pressure. He alleged that the report contained no substantive evidence to back the accusations levelled against him, and described the entire episode as a “super flop.”

“The Chief Minister held a two-and-a-half-hour press conference because Congress is getting stronger and people are returning to us. The SIT report did not contain any proof of the allegations he made. That is why he kept it hidden for six months. Now, after releasing it, it has become clear that this is a political failure for him,” Gogoi said.

He went on to claim that the Chief Minister had “fallen into our political trap” and accused CM Sarma of overestimating his political acumen.

“He thinks of himself as Chanakya, but he is not Chanakya. He is politically weak and factually weak,” he remarked.

Escalating the attack, Gogoi alleged that large tracts of land were registered in the Chief Minister’s family’s name and questioned land allotments to corporate entities, claiming that more details would be revealed in the future. He warned that any personal attacks on his family, particularly his minor children, would be met with legal action.

“I am Tarun Gogoi’s son and belong to the lineage of Lachit Borphukan. You can attack me as much as you want, but if you attack our Congress workers or my family, I will not remain silent,” he said, asserting that CM Sarma was “not fit for the Chief Minister’s chair.”

Responding to allegations regarding his travel to Pakistan, Gogoi said he had visited the country in 2014 with full clearance from the Government of India and that all passport and visa details had been duly submitted. He explained that he travelled with his wife shortly after their marriage to understand her professional circumstances there.

“Can anyone go to Pakistan without visa clearance? Everything was informed to the Centre. After returning to India, my wife received salary from a Pakistan-based NGO for only one month, and the project was funded by an international organisation operating across regions. All disclosures were made during the elections,” Gogoi said.

He accused the Chief Minister of trying to inflate a punctured tyre with air using baseless allegations.

Responding to allegations of sharing Indian information with Pakistan, Gogoi clarified that his wife’s reports were based solely on publicly available Indian media and government information, not any classified intelligence.

Gogoi also stated that the NGO his wife worked with had projects in Gujarat during Narendra Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister and questioned why such NGOs were allowed if they posed national security threats. He asserted that the investigation was meant to divert attention from government scams and to malign Tarun Gogoi’s family.

Responding to allegations about visiting the Pakistan Embassy in Delhi, Gogoi said that during that time, Prime Minister Modi himself had cordial relations with Pakistan, and the discussions he attended were public, attended by journalists, and not secret.

Without naming individuals, Gogoi criticised an MLA for circulating a fabricated travel itinerary and mocked a Union Minister who advised Himanta Biswa Sarma. At the press conference, without naming him directly, he took a swipe at the Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, saying,

“I am concerned about that External Affairs Minister who advised Himanta Biswa Sarma to do this. I am worried about him. It is uncertain how long he will continue to remain a minister.”

He also accused the Chief Minister of spreading misinformation about his travel details, noting that the SIT had never questioned him about specific dates or duration of his visit. He further claimed that the chief mininster himself had travelled to Bangladesh multiple times and had met religious leaders there, while Gogoi had visited the country only once.

At the press conference, Gogoi also released an explosive photograph of the Chief Minister with a Bangladeshi Maulvi. He said the Chief Minister likes visiting Bangladesh and has gone there 10 times. He asked the Chief Minister to explain when and why the photograph was taken.

Gogoi dismissed the Chief Minister’s narrative as a “scripted political drama” and said no evidence had been produced to label him a “Pakistan agent.”

He also criticised attempts to question why an Assamese MP raised border and national security issues in Parliament, stating that if the Lok Sabha Secretariat finds a question invalid or sensitive to national security, it rejects the entire question.

“MPs must give prior notice to raise questions, and any question that may compromise national security is rejected. Recently, the Prime Minister’s Office had issued instructions that no questions can be asked on PM CARES. If my question was accepted by the Lok Sabha Secretariat and answered by the Central Government, then it was a valid question. I believe the Chief Minister does not understand how parliamentary questions work. He should learn parliamentary rules and procedures. Assuming that MPs from Assam know nothing is his personal mindset,” Gogoi said.

He concluded by reiterating that his political journey is guided by his father’s ideals and his mother’s advice to protect the family’s legacy, asserting that he would never tarnish Tarun Gogoi’s reputation.

"This press conference is not just a reply to the Chief Minister; it is to respect the people of Assam and clear any confusion. The people of Assam know who is right and who is wrong, and voters will ultimately decide whether they want another five years of Himanta Biswa Sarma or to fulfil the unfinished dreams of leaders like Tarun Gogoi and Hiteswar Saikia," Gogoi added further.

Also Read: Assam Congress Slams CM Sarma, Calls Allegations Against Gaurav Gogoi False