Guwahati, Feb 9: The political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Assam escalated on Monday after Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of “crossing all limits” by referring to his minor children during allegations of alleged “Pakistan links.”
Gogoi said political battles should remain confined to leaders and should never involve children. “Mentioning my five-year-old and nine-year-old children has crossed all limits. I am ready to face any personal attack, but I will not remain silent if my children, Congress workers or ordinary citizens are targeted,” he said, warning that he would pursue the matter “to the very end” if such actions continued.
Gogoi was responding to a nearly 2.5-hour press conference by the Chief Minister on Sunday, during which Sarma raised questions over Gogoi’s past travel to Pakistan and cited a Special Investigation Team (SIT) report.
Rejecting the allegations, Gogoi said Sarma had failed to produce any evidence. “Yesterday, in the 2.5-hour-long press conference, the Chief Minister could not produce any proof that I am an agent of another country. He had the SIT report for the last six months. If this concerns national security, why was he silent for so long?” Gogoi asked, claiming that the SIT constituted by the state government was unable to establish any wrongdoing.
He further questioned why the Chief Minister had earlier indicated that the SIT report would be made public on September 10 but had not done so.
Congress MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain also came out in Gogoi’s defence, terming the allegations “politically motivated” and aimed at influencing voters ahead of upcoming elections. Hussain described the accusations as “absurd” and suggested they stemmed from “political insecurity” as Gogoi’s prominence within the state Congress grew. He said the party was now considering legal options after what he called repeated targeting of Gogoi’s family.
Responding on social media, Chief Minister Sarma questioned Gogoi’s travel to Takshashila (Taxila), located in Rawalpindi district of Pakistan, asking how he visited the site if his visa permitted travel only to Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Sarma argued that under Pakistan’s immigration rules, travel beyond visa-designated cities requires specific authorisation, and asked who facilitated the visit, noting that Rawalpindi also houses Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters.
As the war of words intensifies, the controversy is poised to sharpen political divisions in Assam ahead of the next electoral battle.
 president Gaurav Gogoi accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of “crossing all limits” by referring to his minor children during allegations of alleged “Pakistan links.”){kind=link}