Guwahati: A political slugfest has erupted in Assam with the Congress launching a scathing counter-attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of attempting to tarnish the image of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi by alleging links to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI. The grand old party has dismissed Sarma’s claims as a politically motivated manoeuvre aimed at undermining Gogoi’s escalating popularity and his potential as the Congress’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2026 Assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora asserted that Sarma’s fear stems from Gogoi’s growing stature, both within and outside Parliament, which led to his appointment as the Deputy Leader of the party in the Lok Sabha. “Himanta Biswa Sarma is sure that he will lose the election if Congress announces Gaurav Gogoi as the CM face. Sarma has already considered Gogoi as his contender because of the latter’s acceptance throughout the state,” Bora stated, highlighting Gogoi’s significant victory in the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in 2024, despite the BJP’s concerted efforts to defeat him.
Bora further alleged that the Assam Chief Minister is trying to paint Gogoi as an ISI agent simply to clear his path for 2026, adding that these claims lack any credible evidence and are thus not being taken seriously by the public. Dismissing all of Sarma’s accusations, the former Rajya Sabha MP clarified that Gogoi’s British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, works for an international NGO with a network spanning multiple countries, including Pakistan. “She might have visited Pakistan or got salary for her work, what’s the problem with that? Likewise, many Pakistani people are working in India legally,” Bora questioned, drawing parallels with various international connections of prominent Indian figures.
Bora cited the examples of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s Japanese wife and British second child, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s younger son and brother, who have professional connections with Pakistan. He argued that if legal business and travel connections with Pakistan are acceptable for others, there should be no issue with Gaurav Gogoi’s circumstances. Bora also pointed out that Gogoi’s children retain British citizenship for convenience due to their mother’s frequent international travel, and if the Indian government finds no fault in these matters, Sarma’s “illogical” and “restless” allegations are unwarranted.
The Congress leader further claimed that Sarma concocted this “Pakistani issue” to ensnare Gogoi after learning of the central leadership’s consideration of Gogoi for the post of Assam Congress president. He concluded by asserting that the Congress is unafraid of such tactics and that the people of Assam will deliver a befitting reply to Sarma in 2026. Earlier, Chief Minister Sarma had publicly attacked Lok Sabha MP Gogoi, claiming his British wife Elizabeth Colburn had travelled 19 times between India and Pakistan and alleging that Gogoi himself had visited Pakistan on an ISI invitation for training. In response, Gogoi had vehemently refuted Sarma’s accusations, labelling them “ridiculous, baseless, insane and nonsense,” and questioning the Chief Minister’s mental state while likening his behaviour to that of an “IT cell troll.”
Read More: Assam to Get Ratan Tata Electronics Manufacturing City, Boosting State’s Industrial Dreams