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Coming out heavily against the Congress party over the allegations levelled by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against MP Gaurav Gogoi's wife, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Tarun Chugh demanded Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi to clarify their stand on the issue.
"The meeting of Congress Deputy LoP in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, with Pakistan High Commission and Gogoi's wife Elizabeth's relation with ISI is a matter of grave concern for the security of the country. Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Gaurav Gogoi should come forward and answer the questions being raised about Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth," Chugh told ANI. He asked whether Gogoi knew about Elizabeth's relations with "anti-social elements" before marrying her and questioned why he did not inform the Home Ministry or the Parliament about his visit to Pakistan. "Did Gogoi marry her despite knowing about Elizabeth's relations with anti-national elements? Why has Elizabeth not taken Indian citizenship until now? Congress will have to answer about her sister-in-law's relationship with the deep state and an organization Caritas, which is accused of carrying out religious conversions in India," Chugh said. He added, "Right after his marriage with Elizabeth, Gogoi was made a member of Parliament, and soon after that, Gaurav Gogoi went to the Pakistan High Commission; why did Gogoi not inform the Home Ministry or the Parliament about this?" 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 Earlier in the day, CM Sarma doubled down on his allegations and further alleged that there is "definite information" that Elizabeth Gogoi visited Pakistan even after her marriage, adding that a Special Investigation Team would to be formed to probe the matter. 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. The Chief Minister said more and more information is coming out. "Tomorrow, the Assam Cabinet is going to meet and probably in that meeting, we will take a decision to form an SIT because unless a regular case is registered, the passport and visa of the alleged person involved will not be investigated. We will also investigate the entire ecosystem, including sympathizers. We are going to conduct a detailed investigation," he added. He said there is also a need to probe if, during that period, "there was an attempt by ISI to infiltrate into the office of Chief Minister of Assam". "That also has to be examined now," he said. 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, Elizabeth Gogoi's, foreign citizenship and accused her of having ties with the ISI. They also questioned a meeting Gogoi had led with the then-Pakistani High Commissioner to India ten years ago in 2015. The controversy quickly escalated when Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seized upon the claims. This prompted a Congress MP to react sharply, accusing the Assam chief minister of being "restless" and insecure about his position. Dismissing the allegations as "laughable", Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday said, "If my wife is an ISI agent of Pakistan, then I am an R&AW agent of India. I don't mind if a family against whom there are various cases and several allegations makes accusations against me. The Assam chief minister is making these allegations only to divert attention from the allegations against him." (ANI)
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