Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati

Guwahati, Feb 9: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday strongly dismissed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegations linking him to Pakistan as “mindless and bogus”, accusing the chief minister of staging a “super flop” press conference ahead of elections.

Reacting sharply to Sarma’s press briefing, Gogoi said the allegations were worse than a “C-grade cinema” and 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 the chief minister had embarrassed himself before the media, claiming that even after a two-and-a-half-hour press conference, journalists remained unconvinced. Gogoi, who is also the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, asserted that people across Assam were not taking Sarma’s statements seriously.

He alleged that the chief minister was attempting to divert public attention from allegations that Sarma and his family had occupied nearly 12,000 bighas of land across the state. Referring to the Congress’ ‘Xomoy Parivartan Yatra’, Gogoi said the yatra had been exposing the alleged land grab and claimed that if voted to power, the Congress would reclaim the land and distribute it among the poor and landless.

Earlier in the day, Sarma had alleged that Gogoi, his wife Elizabeth Colburn and a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, shared a “deeper connection”, and claimed that sensitive information from Indian agencies had been passed to Pakistan. The chief minister also alleged that Gogoi had undertaken a “confidential” visit to Pakistan in 2013 and may have undergone “some kind of training” there.

Responding to these claims, Gogoi said Sarma failed to provide any evidence. Speaking to reporters in Mangaldai, he said the chief minister could not even answer journalists’ questions properly. “I had earlier said this film would flop. I was wrong. It is a super flop,” he remarked.

Questioning the timing of the allegations, Gogoi said Sarma had promised to make the claims public by September 10 last year but waited several months. He asked why the matter remained dormant if it was so serious, alleging that the issue surfaced only after the Congress raised the land issue and drew large crowds during the Parivartan Yatra.

Gogoi further claimed that he possessed documentary evidence regarding the alleged land holdings of the chief minister and his family. He said details were being uploaded by the public on a website questioning Sarma’s assets, and alleged that the chief minister’s press conference revealed he had “no information at all”.

Opposition parties in Assam also questioned the allegations, asking why no arrest had been made if the charges were serious. Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi said branding someone a Pakistani agent amounted to accusing them of treason and asked why the government had not acted if it had evidence. He questioned whether the press conference on the SIT report was “drama or serious business”.

Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi criticised the chief minister for failing to substantiate his claims and accused the government of dragging the Assam Police’s Special Investigation Team into political battles. He warned that politicising the police could damage its credibility and erode public trust.

Meanwhile, the ruling BJP mounted a strong counter-offensive, demanding an apology from Gaurav Gogoi and asserting that the allegations involved 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 matter required serious examination and called for a comprehensive probe with the involvement of the Government of India. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the allegations were “highly condemnable” and that Gogoi must prove his innocence.

Assam BJP spokesperson Pranjal Kalita said the alleged activities attributed to Gogoi were detrimental to national interests and urged him to clarify defence-related questions he had raised in Parliament.