Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday dismissed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegations of his alleged links with Pakistan as “mindless and bogus”, accusing the chief minister of staging a “super flop” press conference ahead of elections.
Reacting to Sarma’s press briefing, Gogoi said the allegations were “worse than a C-grade cinema” and had failed to convince even the journalists present. “I pity the journalists from Delhi and Assam who had to sit through the most flop press conference of the century. This was worse than a C-grade cinema,” Gogoi said in a post on X.
In another post, the Congress leader said Sarma had “embarrassed himself” before the media, adding that “even after two-and-a-half hours, the journalists in the room remained unconvinced”.
Gogoi, who is the Congress’ deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, claimed that “nobody in Assam is taking the chief minister’s words seriously”. He alleged that Sarma was attempting to divert attention from claims that the chief minister and his family had occupied around 12,000 bighas of land across the state.
“This so-called super flop stands in contrast to our Xomoy Parivartan Yatra, which has been exposing the 12,000 bighas of land allegedly occupied by the chief minister and his family members,” Gogoi said, claiming that the Congress would reclaim the land and distribute it among the poor and landless if voted to power.
Earlier in the day, Sarma alleged that Gogoi, his wife Elizabeth Colburn and a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, shared a “deeper connection” and that sensitive information from Indian agencies had been passed to Pakistan. The chief minister also claimed that Gogoi had undertaken a “confidential” visit to Pakistan in 2013 and was believed to have undergone “some kind of training” there.
Speaking to reporters later in Mangaldai, Gogoi said Sarma had failed to provide any evidence to back his claims. “Forget evidence, he could not even respond properly to journalists’ questions. I had earlier said this film would flop, I was wrong. It is a super flop,” he said.
Questioning the timing of the allegations, Gogoi said Sarma had promised to make the claims public by September 10 last year but took several months to do so. “If the matter was so serious, why did the file remain buried all this time?” he asked, alleging that the charges surfaced only after the Congress highlighted the land issue and drew large crowds during the Parivartan Yatra.
Gogoi also claimed he had documentary evidence related to the alleged land holdings of the chief minister and his family. “We can disclose all details, including names. People are themselves uploading information on the ‘Who Is Himanta Biswa Sarma’ website,” he said, adding that the chief minister’s press conference showed he had “no information at all”.
Opposition parties in Assam questioned Sarma's allegations, asking why no arrest had been made if the claims were indeed serious, and asserting that the chief minister had failed to substantiate the charges.
Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi said branding someone a Pakistani agent amounted to accusing them of treason. “If the chief minister believes Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent, then why has he not been arrested yet?” he asked, addressing reporters. He questioned whether Sarma’s press conference on the SIT report was a “drama or serious business”.
“If people can be arrested for writing poetry or asking questions on social media, why doesn’t the government arrest someone it claims to have evidence against?” Akhil Gogoi said.
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi also criticised the chief minister, saying Sarma failed to substantiate his claims during the press conference. He accused the government of dragging the Assam Police’s Special Investigation Team into political battles for personal and party interests, warning that such actions could damage the credibility of the police and erode public trust.
“The political use of the police will have long-term consequences for the integrity of law enforcement institutions in Assam,” Lurinjyoti Gogoi said.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP mounted a strong counter-offensive, demanding an apology from Gogoi and asserting that the allegations were serious and related to national security. The Assam BJP organised protests across 39 organisational districts of the state following Sarma’s press conference.
Addressing a demonstration in Dibrugarh, Assam BJP president and MP Dilip Saikia said the allegations should be examined with utmost seriousness and called for a comprehensive investigation with the direct involvement of the Government of India. “Unless Gaurav Gogoi apologises to 140 crore Indians, we will consider him a traitor and anti-national,” he said.
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal described the allegations as “highly condemnable” and said Gogoi must prove his innocence. “Any individual involved in conspiracies against the nation deserves condemnation. The Government of India will not forgive any force that acts against the country,” he said.
Assam BJP spokesperson Pranjal Kalita said the alleged activities attributed to Gogoi were “detrimental to national interests” and damaging to public trust, and urged him to clarify the background of defence-related questions he had raised in Parliament.
(With inputs from PTI)