Last Updated:
Addressing a rally in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that three out of four members of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s immediate family are foreigners.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi | File Image
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday launched his sharpest attack yet on Congress MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi, accusing him of having a “relationship with Pakistan” and vowing that “explosive details” would be revealed within this month.
Addressing a public rally at Goreswar in Assam’s Tamulpur, Sarma intensified his long-running campaign against the Jorhat Lok Sabha MP, alleging that three out of four members of Gogoi’s immediate family are foreigners. The Chief Minister referred to Gogoi’s British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, and their two children, whom he has repeatedly claimed hold foreign citizenship.
Invoking Assamese cultural symbolism, Sarma declared that the people of the state would not accept “such a person into the traditional household (borghar),” using the metaphor to question Gogoi’s loyalty, roots, and suitability to lead Assam. He went further, branding Gogoi a “Pakistani agent” and alleging that foreign forces had deliberately “planted” him in Assam’s political landscape.
The Chief Minister’s remarks build on earlier allegations linking Gogoi to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), claims Sarma has previously tied to his wife’s past professional associations and visits abroad. Although no evidence has been made public so far, Sarma has repeatedly asserted that an official probe has uncovered serious findings.
The renewed offensive comes at a time of rising political temperatures ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. Sarma reiterated that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the allegations had already submitted its report last year. He hinted that the case could soon be handed over to a central investigative agency, while teasing major disclosures in the coming weeks.
“This is not political rhetoric,” Sarma has maintained in recent statements, insisting that the matter concerns national security and Assam’s future.
Gaurav Gogoi has strongly and consistently rejected the accusations, calling them “baseless lies”, “political theatrics”, and a calculated smear campaign by the BJP to distract from what he describes as governance failures under the Sarma-led government. The Congress leader has dared the Chief Minister to make the alleged evidence public, warning that unsubstantiated allegations amount to intimidation and character assassination.
“This is fear politics,” Gogoi has said, accusing the BJP of weaponising nationalism to silence opposition voices. He has also questioned why, if the allegations were genuine, no concrete action has been taken so far.
The confrontation underscores the deepening polarisation in Assam politics, with the BJP aggressively framing the political contest as a battle between nationalism and external influence, while the Congress accuses Sarma of authoritarianism, fearmongering, and misuse of state machinery.
As January end approaches, political circles in Assam are watching closely to see whether Sarma follows through on his promise of disclosures from the SIT probe or whether the high-voltage accusations remain part of an escalating war of words that continues to dominate the pre-election narrative in the state.
January 10, 2026, 10:58 IST
Read More
