'Thanks for the fame, CM': Gogoi says BJP 'lies' only raised his political profile

Guwahati, May 28: Breaking months of silence over allegations of covert ties with Pakistan, Congress MP and newly appointed Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Gaurav Gogoi, on Wednesday, launched a counterattack, dismissing the claims as “political theatre”.

In a 43-minute press conference in New Delhi, the Jorhat MP addressed head-on a series of accusations — from allegedly being aided by Pakistan’s ISI to claims about his wife drawing salary from foreign agencies.

“I visited Pakistan 12 years ago, in 2013, with my wife. Every aspect of the travel was cleared by the then Indian government,” Gogoi clarified, explaining that his wife, a public policy professional, had been posted in Pakistan as part of a South Asia climate change project in 2011.

“She returned in 2012–13 and took up a new job in 2015. During that period, I visited her,” he said.

Taking aim at the BJP, Gogoi questioned why the Centre had taken no action if the trip had indeed been suspect.

“The Modi government has had all the resources to probe me. Why hasn’t a single inquiry been launched? Because there was none,” he asserted.

He went on to call the controversy a calculated distraction. “This is nothing but a tool of character assassination — a diversion from the BJP’s mounting failures and the alleged misuse of state power by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s family,” Gogoi said.

Alleging “deep-rooted corruption” in Sarma’s inner circle, Gogoi claimed that the Chief Minister’s family runs at least 17 companies that have received state contracts, land allotments, and financial favours.

“It’s ironic that the CM targets me while his own family is prospering through state resources,” he said.

Declaring that he had “nothing to hide,” Gogoi reaffirmed his commitment to Assam. “My conscience is clear. I will continue to speak truth to power, even if it means being vilified. The people are watching, and they will respond in the 2026 elections,” he said.

In a sardonic twist, Gogoi even thanked the Chief Minister for “elevating” his political standing. “Many believed my role was confined to Delhi. But thanks to these attacks — whether over delimitation or these recent smear campaigns — my relevance in Assam has only grown,” he added.

But the war of words didn’t end there. Responding swiftly on social media, Chief Minister Sarma declared that Gogoi’s admission was “just the beginning”.

“There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible inputs and documented information, to suggest that Gogoi has maintained proximity with the Pakistani establishment,” Sarma wrote, promising that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will present its findings on September 10.

“The people of Assam and the nation deserve the truth — and they shall have it, in full,” he said, before signing off with a pointed jab, “The people will not forget, nor forgive, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi for promoting such a dangerous and compromised individual into public life.”

As political temperatures soar, the stage is set for an increasingly combative run-up to the 2026 Assam Assembly polls — with Gogoi and Sarma emerging as its fiercest protagonists.