Assam Himanta Gaurav continue duel over Pakistan visits

    Dergaon, May 21 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi's comparison of his visit to Pakistan with that of BJP stalwarts like LK Advani was like equating "apples with oranges".
    Hitting back, Gogoi claimed that the chief minister was resorting to "baseless personal attacks, political drama and smear campaigns", maintaining that he has followed all official protocols since being elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 2014.
    Sarma and the BJP have been attacking Gogoi, the deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, alleging that he and his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, have links to Pakistan's ISI.
    The CM on Sunday alleged that Gogoi had visited Pakistan on an invitation from its spy agency ISI, underwent "training" there, and worked closely with the establishment of the neighbouring nation.
    Countering Sarma, Gogoi said on Tuesday that many senior BJP leaders, too, had earlier visited the neighbouring nation, and the central government was fully aware of his visit to Pakistan.
    Responding to it, Sarma said, "Be it Jaswant Singh, LK Advani or Narendra Modi, they went publicly, on government duty."
    "He is such a senior MP, deputy leader of a party, speaks so much about Manipur in Parliament, and someone like him cannot differentiate between apples and oranges. When the Indian prime minister goes, he has RAW personnel, Ministry of External Affairs personnel... a whole team of 40-50 people goes with him. Whatever is said is recorded... Going on national duty and going in a sly manner are different," the CM said.
    He reiterated that he will reveal all evidence in support of his claims against Gogoi on September 10.
    "I have been in politics for 25 years, I know when to say what. In January itself, I had fixed September 10 and it won't be preponed or postponed," Sarma said.
    The CM said his allegations were more serious than those levelled against Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, arrested on charges of spying.
    "She is a young girl who worked as a spy. It is a different matter. She could not have returned and questioned about the presence of nuclear weapons and Rafale jets. But, our one asked in Parliament, where are our nuclear weapons, Rafales and weaponry of the coast guard? If Jyoti is 10, ours is 100," he said, in an apparent reference to Gogoi.
    In a statement, the Congress leader claimed the chief minister's accusation that he was "trained by the ISI" is "ridiculous, baseless and nonsense".
    He asked the Sarma to make public any evidence against him, claiming that the September 10 deadline is "an attempt to run from the public and avoid responsibility".
    He said that since becoming an MP in 2014, he has followed all official protocols, including the submission of all his passports and the issuance of a diplomatic passport.
    "Every detail is documented and available with the relevant authorities... The people of Assam are wiser than the chief minister," he said, describing the allegations as "masala politics".
    Alleging that the BJP has a "long and controversial history of questionable links with Pakistan", Gogoi questioned Sarma's "silence" on it.
    He claimed the chief minister's "deep insecurity has led him to tarnish the late Tarun Gogoi's name and even target his minor grandchildren".
    "I am the son of Tarun Gogoi. I will not be intimidated. The truth will prevail," he said.
    Gogoi reiterated the demand for two Special Investigation Teams (SIT) led by retired judges -- one to probe him and another to investigate Sarma.
    "While the chief minister plays politics, Assam continues to face numerous problems -- teachers and doctors remain unpaid, schools are collapsing in neglect, the state’s debt is rising unchecked, and coal syndicates and drug mafias are thriving with alleged BJP patronage," he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)