Guwahati, Feb 13, 2025, IANS

Guwahati, Feb 13 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma continued his attacks on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi for meeting the Pakistan High Commissioner despite not being a member of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs. Sarma claimed post that meeting, Gogoi posted several questions on national security in the Parliament that were not related anyway to Assam or the Congress leader’s Lok Sabha constituency. The Chief Minister mentioned, “Post-Pakistan High Commission Meeting: Defence and Security Questions Raised in Parliament. The 26/11 Mumbai attacks exposed critical vulnerabilities in India’s coastal security. In this context, Question No. 2, raised by the Hon’ble MP, specifically sought detailed information on coastal radar stations, including their specifications and costs.” He posed a series of questions in his X post, “Why would an MP from Assam—a landlocked state—seek classified details on coastal radar systems? What was the necessity of putting such sensitive information in the public domain? Why was this inquiry made shortly after the MP’s meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner? Given the national security implications, can this be dismissed as a mere coincidence incident?” Meanwhile, allegations were also levelled that Gaurav Gogoi’s wife, UK-born Elizabeth Colebourn has not taken Indian citizenship even after marrying the Congress leader for more than 13 years. The Chief Minister wrote in an X post: “For those asking whether the wife of the Hon’ble MP has taken Indian citizenship, my simple answer is: I do not know. However, here is an authentic copy of the voter list from Jorhat, which includes every family member’s name—except his wife’s. Perhaps it is best to draw our own conclusions.” Earlier, Sarma launched a veiled attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi for the latter’s meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner despite not being a member of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs. The Chief Minister also raised the question of seeking the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)’s approval for this meeting. Posting a picture of Gaurav Gogoi with then Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, Sarma wrote in X handle, “Such a high-level interaction with the ambassador of an adversarial nation requires MEA approval and a post-meeting debriefing. Hope the Hon’ble MP complied with these requirements, as national security must always take precedence over politics.”