Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday alleged that Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi’s British wife Elizabeth Colburn was collecting various intelligence documents on behalf of the Pakistani climate lobby.
Addressing a press conference here, Sarma claimed that the Assam Government has documentary evidence to back up the allegation about Gogoi and his wife’s close ties with Pakistan and he will reveal everything publicly by September 10.
However, debunking claims that he had alleged links with the Pakistani establishment, newly-appointed Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi said he had gone to Pakistan only once 12 years ago and that the BJP was raking up the issue like a “C-grade Bollywood movie” that is going to “flop miserably”.
“His wife monitored IB documents and quoted those. That means she must have someone in the IB. It is a very very serious allegation. I have documents to prove that his wife Elizabeth Colburn was involved in collecting various intelligence reports,” the CM asserted. Sarma said she worked for the climate lobby and had a close relationship with Pakistan. Talking about Gogoi, Sarma said, “He is a Pakistani agent. Their entire relationship was with the Pakistani establishment. They maintained this relationship till around 2017-18.” Meanwhile, talking to media in Delhi, Gogoi said he had gone to Pakistan only once 12 years ago and that the BJP was raking up the issue like a “C-grade Bollywood movie” that is going to “flop miserably”. Gogoi also asked why the BJP Government at the Centre had not acted for the last 11 years if there was any wrongdoing and claimed that Assam Chief Minister was making these allegations with the intention of creating doubts in the minds of the Congress leadership about his credentials but that had been decimated.
“Allegations are made and I would like to clarify that people of the state are not misled. About 14-15 years ago, my wife, who is a well-known expert in public policy, worked on an international project in South Asia focused on climate change. She spent one year in Pakistan before returning to India around 2012-13,” said Gogoi, newly appointed PCC Chief.
“Since then, she has continued her work and took a new job in 2015. I also remember going with her once in 2013. Their (the BJP’s) job is defamation and by raking this issue they are creating this whole thing like a C-grade Bollywood movie which they have said would be released on September 10. But that is going to be a flop miserably,” he said.