Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has again accused Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi of being a “100 per cent Pakistani agent.” This statement comes two days after Gogoi had previously called the Chief Minister “unfit” to lead the government. In response to Sarma’s persistent allegations, Gogoi has dared the Chief Minister to publicly release the SIT report that supposedly details Gogoi’s alleged links with Pakistani agencies.
Sarma, speaking to reporters in Tezpur, stated he would welcome any legal action Gogoi might take against him for these remarks. When pressed about the alleged connections, Sarma used an analogy, suggesting that Gogoi’s links to Pakistani agents are as pure as milk mixed with no water, implying a complete and undeniable connection. He first made the “100 per cent Pakistani agent” accusation on October 31, asserting that Gogoi was placed by a foreign power.
Gogoi, in turn, criticized Sarma’s comments, calling them indicative of the Chief Minister’s unsuitability for his position. He recalled that the Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, had urged Gogoi to file a case. Gogoi added that he would be pleased if Sarma were to file a case against him, and even if not, the BJP government would reveal Gogoi’s alleged activities after filing the chargesheet in the Zubeen Garg case.
Further elaborating, Sarma mentioned in Guwahati that the police had submitted a report on Gogoi’s alleged Pakistani links, which he currently possesses. He expressed a desire not to release the report prematurely, fearing it might be seen as an attempt to divert attention from the Zubeen Garg death case. Sarma indicated that the Ali Tauqeer case, which involves alleged interference by a Pakistani national linked to Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn, would be addressed after the Zubeen Garg chargesheet is filed.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had investigated allegations of interference in India’s internal affairs by Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who was reportedly connected to Colburn. Responding to these accusations at a press conference in Hamren, Gogoi urged the Chief Minister to make the SIT report public, stating he was available in Assam and ready for any action if the allegations were proven. Gogoi expressed confidence that Sarma would have to leave Assam after the 2026 Assembly elections and challenged him to present all the alleged evidence promptly.
Gogoi emphasized that public representatives are not accused in a court and that allegations must be substantiated before the public, not hidden behind threats of legal action. He also reminded Sarma of his earlier promise to disclose details about Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan connections by September 10, a commitment he apparently did not fulfill.
The political friction stems from the Assam CM and the BJP’s claims about Gogoi’s wife’s alleged ties to Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI. Sarma claimed Colburn had traveled to Pakistan 19 times and that Gogoi himself had visited Pakistan for training at the ISI’s invitation, working closely with the neighboring nation’s establishment. He further alleged that Colburn was collecting classified government documents for a Pakistani climate lobby. Gogoi has strongly refuted these claims, dismissing them as “ridiculous, baseless, insane and nonsense” and accusing Sarma of behaving like an “IT cell troll.”