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Assam Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Lakhya Konwar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi, saying that the Congress party is raising unrelated issues to "mislead" the public to "divert attention" from the allegations levelled against them.
"The Congress, in an attempt to divert public attention from the core allegations against Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi and his wife, has been trying to mislead people by raising unrelated issues. However, such propaganda initiated by the Congress ecosystem will not deceive the public. Instead, Gaurav Gogoi and his wife must provide clear and direct answers to the allegations made against them," Konwar said in a press release. Konwar further alleged that the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFPP), backed by Gogoi, published an article on July 10, 2015, labelling the Border Security Force a "human rights violator." "Newly emerging evidence suggests that the issue is far more serious than previously anticipated. A July 10, 2015 article published in the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFPP)--an organisation backed by Gaurav Gogoi--labelled the Border Security Force (BSF) of India as a human rights violator," Konwar said. "The article specifically accused BSF personnel deployed along the India-Bangladesh international border of brutally shooting Bangladeshi citizens under the pretext of preventing illegal infiltration. Furthermore, it alleged that the Indian border security forces were involved in human rights violations and had unlawfully killed nearly 1,000 innocent Bangladeshi nationals, in violation of international law," he added. Suggesting an attempt made to defame BSF, the Assam BJP spokesperson said that Gogoi must be held accountable for the "anti-national propaganda" peddled through YFPP's article. "The people of Assam have now begun questioning whether the BSF, which protects Assam's borders, is a friend of the state or if Gaurav Gogoi's YFPP is truly working in Assam's interest. Through this article, an attempt has been made to defame India's internal security forces like the BSF at the international level, and Gaurav Gogoi must be held accountable for this anti-national propaganda," Konwar said. "Additionally, serious concerns have been raised regarding Gaurav Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi," he added. There has been a war of words between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Gaurav Gogoi over the Chief Minister's claim that the latter's wife has alleged links with Pakistan's spy agency. Sarma had on Friday said that he wanted clarification from Congress' Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha This comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that there is "definite information" that Elizabeth Gogoi visited Pakistan even after her marriage and a decision to form a Special Investigation Team would be taken at the meeting of state cabinet tomorrow. He said a regular case should be filed to investigate the alleged person's passport and visa and that the entire ecosystem, including sympathisers, will be investigated. Gaurav Gogoi has found himself at the centre of a controversy after a section of BJP workers and leaders, led by Sarma, raised questions over his wife's "foreign citizenship" and accused her of having ties with the ISI. Gogoi said that he would take appropriate legal action over the Bharatiya Janata Party's "malicious and baseless" allegations against him and his wife over accusations concerning links with the Pakistani government and George Soros's Open Society, potentially compromising national interests. (ANI)
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