War of words between Himanta and Gaurav Gogoi continues

With the Assembly elections nearing, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi are heating up day by day with a war of words. A day after the Chief Minister alleged that State Congress president Gogoi is a “Pakistani agent, planted by foreign power,” the Opposition leader hit back on Saturday, claiming that such comments show that Sarma is “unfit” to hold his position as head of the Government.

Gogoi also criticised the timing of the allegations, saying Sarma made the comments on the day when late cultural icon Zubeen Garg’s last movie was released. Sarma hit back, claiming that he will ‘move on’ to Gogoi’s case after ensuring justice is done in the Garg’s death case by December.

The CM reiterated his allegation that Gogoi was linked to Pakistan through his British wife, claiming the Congress leader was a “Pakistani agent” planted by “foreign power” and asserting that he had evidence to prove it.

Reacting to the charges, Gogoi, in a post on X, said, “Over the past few months, Himanta Biswa Sarma dangoriya has lost credibility.” “Yesterday, when the entire state was watching Garg perform for the last time in ‘Roi Roi Binale’, the chief minister’s comments showed his growing fear of losing power,” he said. “It was another example of why he is unfit as the chief minister of the people of Assam,” Gogoi, who is the Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha, claimed.

Sarma also accused Gogoi of supporting the infiltrators in Assam. “As long as I’m the Chief Minister, eviction drives are not going anywhere, but the encroachers certainly are. We will continue eviction drives against Miya Muslims,” said Sarma, accusing Congress of supporting those “grabbing” lands in Assam.

Garg had died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19, leading to a massive outpouring of public grief and the government constituting a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the state police’s CID to probe the circumstances of the singer-composer-actor’s death. His last movie, ‘Roi Roi Binale’ (Tears Still Flow), opened to packed houses on Friday in the State as well as in multiple cities of the country. Asked for his reaction to Gogoi’s statement, Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Morigaon that he knows the right time to go after Gogoi.

“What credibility has been lost? I know the timing; I have learned it (in politics). You want I should give out the SIT report now, during the Zubeen case, so that you can say that I am diverting the issue,” Sarma said. He was referring to the SIT of CID, which had probed the ‘anti-India’ activities of one Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who is purportedly close to Gogoi’s wife, and his associates, with the report submitted to the government on September 10. The Chief Minister maintained that at present, people want justice for Garg and are not concerned about Gogoi.

“After December 10, when justice for Zubeen would be ensured, I will move to Gaurav Gogoi. My eyes are fixed on the target,” he asserted. Sarma added that the SIT investigating Garg’s death will file its chargesheet by December 10, ahead of its deadline.