New Delhi:
The heated trade between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi over the Enforcement Directorate’s raids in opposition to unlawful coal mining within the Northeastern state has taken a flip for the private.
Whereas Mr Sarma has alleged that Mr Gogoi’s spouse Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi receives wage from a Pakistan-based NGO and that she and their kids usually are not Indian residents, the Congress MP has hit again, questioning if the Chief Minister was prepared for questions on his spouse and kids.
Earlier, Mr Gogoi mentioned the Enforcement Directorate had “uncovered Assam’s unlawful coal empire”. “Rs 1.58 Crore money seized. Pretend invoices. 1200 tonnes of unlawful coal extracted DAILY in Margherita, Jogighopa, Guwahati. All below the nostril of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who stored denying unlawful mining,” he mentioned in a publish on X.
“Is that this loot attainable with out the federal government’s safety? Who’s Assam’s actual Syndicate Raja? When ED raids & HC summons expose the reality, how lengthy will the CM conceal behind denials?” he added.
Mr Sarma mentioned the Congress MP’s remarks had uncovered the Opposition social gathering’s stand on the Enforcement Directorate. “On one hand, @RahulGandhi and his camp are relentlessly maligning the ED, calling it a political instrument. Alternatively, their very own Deputy Chief is busy glorifying the exact same company. This doublespeak displays the utter confusion and hypocrisy inside Congress,” he mentioned.
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Questions for the Hon’ble Member of Parliament from the Congress Celebration:
1.Did you go to Pakistan for a steady interval of 15 days? If that’s the case, may you kindly make clear the aim of your go to?https://t.co/a83u47Zq6L it true that your spouse continues to obtain a wage from a…— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 27, 2025
The Chief Minister’s assault then turned private. With out naming Mr Gogoi, he posted questions for him. “Did you go to Pakistan for a steady interval of 15 days? If that’s the case, may you kindly make clear the aim of your go to? Is it true that your spouse continues to obtain a wage from a Pakistan-based NGO whereas residing and dealing in India? If that’s the case, could we ask why a Pakistan-based group is paying a wage for actions performed in India? What’s the citizenship standing of your spouse and your two kids? Are they Indian residents, or do they maintain the citizenship of every other nation? Many extra questions will comply with,” he mentioned.
Questions for the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam
1) Will you resign in case you fail to show your allegations of me and my spouse being brokers of an enemy nation ?
2) Will you’re taking questions by yourself kids and spouse ?
3) Will the state police arrest these linked to coal mafia… https://t.co/KEhs4h9M1R
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) April 27, 2025
The Congress MP from Jorhat responded with a listing of questions. “Will you resign in case you fail to show your allegations of me and my spouse being brokers of an enemy nation? Will you’re taking questions by yourself kids and spouse? Will the state police arrest these linked to coal mafia who make are ravaging the hills of Assam and making crores of undeclared cash? Ready for the SIT report back to be submitted,” he mentioned.
Earlier, Mr Sarma, as soon as an in depth aide of Mr Gogoi’s father and former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, had mentioned the state would witness a political storm because of Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan hyperlinks. “SIT has discovered many inputs concerning hyperlinks of quite a few Indian people with Pakistani nationwide Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. The SIT has additionally discovered a number of hyperlinks of Ali Sheikh in India, and extra revelations will come up within the subsequent few days,” he mentioned, including that the SIT has been requested to finish the probe by September.
I wish to make clear that neither I nor my son and daughter have ever visited Pakistan. Moreover, my spouse and our whole household would by no means even consider accepting any wage or monetary assist from Pakistan.
All members of my household, together with my spouse, son, and daughter,… https://t.co/7seOlw2WaZ— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 27, 2025
In his response to the Congress MP, Mr Sarma mentioned, “I wish to make clear that neither I nor my son and daughter have ever visited Pakistan. Moreover, my spouse and our whole household would by no means even consider accepting any wage or monetary assist from Pakistan.”
“All members of my household, together with my spouse, son, and daughter, are Indian residents. None of my kids has ever surrendered or renounced Indian citizenship. Now, it’s your flip to reply. Within the coming days, enough materials will likely be positioned within the public area exposing the connections between the involved Congress Member of Parliament and Pakistan. Await tenth September 2025,” he mentioned.
The Assam Chief Minister additionally invoked the late Tarun Gogoi and mentioned, “What might be extra heartbreaking than late Tarun Gogoi’s grandchildren not being Indian residents? As our investigation digs deeper, extra particulars are being unravelled.”
Mr Gogoi mentioned none of his questions had been answered and added, “Await 2026”. Meeting polls in Assam are due subsequent yr.
Mr Sarma’s private assault on Mr Gogoi and his spouse, citing his alleged Pakistan hyperlinks, comes amid nationwide outrage over the Pahalgam terror assault that left 25 vacationers and a Kashmiri lifeless. Assam police has launched a crackdown in opposition to these making controversial remarks on the fear strike, with Mr Sarma stressing that “Assam is not going to tolerate any particular person who, immediately or not directly, helps or defends Pakistan in reference to the heinous assault in Pahalgam”.