The Assam government has decided to forward the matter concerning Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged links with Pakistan to the Home Ministry. The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held on Saturday, according to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
CM Sarma said the matter was serious and required examination at the national level. He added that the state government believes the issue goes beyond Assam and should be handled by the Centre.
He stated that the case revolves around three individuals. These include a sitting Member of Parliament, his wife who is a British citizen and a Pakistani national identified as Ali Tauqeer Sheikh.
“The Assam government had constituted an SIT to inquire into the alleged anti-India conspiracy of Sheikh in connivance with a British citizen and an MP. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the matter, it was decided to hand it over to the MHA,” CM Sarma said in a press conference.
Congress alleges land grab by CM’s family
A political row has erupted in Assam after state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s family of illegally acquiring large tracts of land across the state.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Gogoi claimed that around 12,000 bighas of land, spread across different areas of Assam, had been grabbed by the chief minister’s family.
Chief Minister Sarma strongly denied the accusations and announced that he would file a defamation case against Gogoi.
Reacting to Sarma’s statement, Gogoi said the threat of legal action showed that Sarma was under pressure. The Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha further alleged that Sarma had raised questions about his supposed links with Pakistan to divert public attention from the land-related allegations.
