A political storm is raging in Assam after Gaurav Gogoi, the recently appointed president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, admitted to having visited Pakistan nearly a decade ago.
The revelation has triggered a prompt response from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has claimed to possess “credible input and documented evidence” suggesting Gogoi maintained close ties with the Pakistani establishment.
The controversy escalated swiftly after Gogoi, addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi, stated that his 2013 trip to Pakistan was connected to his wife’s professional assignment on a climate change project. His wife, a public policy analyst, had been working on the project since 2011.
However, Sarma wasted no time in launching a counter-offensive.
Accusing Gogoi of hiding deeper affiliations, the chief minister took to social media to allege that the Congress leader’s links with Pakistan went beyond a mere personal visit.
“There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible input and documented evidence, to suggest Gogoi’s proximity with the Pakistani establishment,” Sarma said, adding that the full report from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be made public on September 10.
“The Government of Assam is committed to transparency and accountability,” he asserted.
Gogoi, meanwhile, brushed off the accusations as politically timed theatrics and dismissed the SIT report’s impending release as a “C-grade movie” set for an election-season premiere.
“I visited Pakistan over a decade ago with my wife for a legitimate professional project. If any wrongdoing occurred, why has the BJP-led government, which has ruled for the past 11 years, not acted through its central agencies?” Gogoi questioned.
The exchange comes amid rising political temperatures in Assam, where the BJP and Congress remain engaged in a fierce electoral rivalry.
Assam’s political climate is particularly sensitive to issues involving national security, cross-border ties, and illegal immigration—matters that are often leveraged during election cycles.
Sarma’s accusations have gone beyond Gogoi’s individual actions, taking aim at the Congress leadership as a whole.
He accused Rahul Gandhi of “elevating a compromised individual into public life,” indicating that the BJP intends to tie the controversy to the Congress’s broader leadership.
Gogoi, however, continues to stand his ground. He reiterated the transparency of his public record and questioned the timing of the SIT’s revelations, just months ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. “Assam needs real solutions to deep-rooted issues like unemployment and illegal syndicates. Instead, the state is being distracted with manufactured controversies,” he said.
In a sharp counterattack, Gogoi cited recent Enforcement Directorate raids related to alleged coal syndicates operating within Assam, suggesting that the government is attempting to deflect attention from its own failings.