Guwahati: Assam Congress chief and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday strongly rebutted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegations of alleged Pakistan links, dismissing the claims as politically motivated and describing the Chief Minister’s recent press conference as an embarrassment.
Taking to X, Gogoi said journalists from both Assam and Delhi were left unconvinced after Sarma’s nearly two-and-a-half-hour press interaction, calling it a “super flop press conference” and comparing it to “worse than a C-grade cinema.”
“I pity the journalists who had to suffer through this mindless and bogus exercise,” Gogoi said, adding that the Chief Minister’s remarks were not being taken seriously by the people of Assam.
He alleged that the press conference was an attempt to divert attention from serious questions surrounding the Chief Minister’s own conduct. Gogoi claimed that Sarma and his family had acquired nearly 12,000 bighas—around 4,000 acres of prime land across Assam.
“When we come to power, these lands will be taken back and distributed among the poor and landless peasants,” Gogoi wrote, asserting that land redistribution would be a key focus of the Congress’s political agenda.
The Chief Minister, however, maintained that the allegations involving Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and Elizabeth Gogoi, the spouse of the Congress MP, were serious and warranted thorough investigation. Addressing reporters earlier, Sarma said the involvement of a sitting Member of Parliament elevated the matter beyond a routine probe
“These are grave allegations. When a sitting MP, who is also the Deputy Leader of the Congress in Parliament, is linked to Pakistan in any manner, the issue assumes greater significance,” Sarma said.
He revealed that the Assam Police had constituted a Special Investigation Team to examine the matter. Based on the SIT’s findings, a case was registered at the CID police station, and the report was later placed before the Assam Cabinet, which recommended a central agency probe citing the sensitivity and wider implications.
Sarma said the issue came to light after a photograph surfaced showing Gogoi accompanying a group of youths to the Pakistan Embassy in 2015, where then Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit was allegedly present. Such engagement, he said, could not be treated as innocuous given India’s strained ties with Pakistan.
Rejecting the allegations, Gogoi accused the Chief Minister of using national security rhetoric to shield himself from accountability, insisting that the campaign against him was aimed at silencing political opposition ahead of critical political battles in Assam
