Guwahati, Feb 12, 2025, IANS

Guwahati, Feb 12 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday took an indirect dig at Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over the latter's wife retaining foreign citizenship for the last 12 years after getting married. CM Sarma said in an X post, “During my interactions with an IFS officer in Singapore, I learned that officers in the Indian Foreign Service cannot marry a foreign national without prior permission from the Government of India. Moreover, even when permission is granted, it comes with the condition that the spouse must acquire Indian citizenship within six months. Interestingly, this rule does not apply to our lawmakers.” “However, allowing a foreign spouse of a lawmaker to retain foreign citizenship for 12 years is far too long. Loyalty to the nation must always take precedence over all other considerations,” the CM said. Elizabeth Colebourn, Gogoi's wife, worked previously with Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a senior advisor to Pakistan's Planning Commission which has raised serious questions given that Gaurav Gogoi is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Dy LoP) in Parliament. Gaurav Gogoi married Elizabeth Colebourn in Guwahati in 2013 and joined active politics soon after that. Gogoi won the Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 2014 from the Kaliabor constituency in Assam. CM Sarma was in Singapore where he met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Tuesday, and held discussions regarding the state’s potential to become a major hub for global investments. Taking to X, he wrote, “It was a great honour to meet the President of Singapore, H.E @Tharman_S, today. Our discussions covered ongoing collaborative projects, with a special emphasis on Assam’s role as a key pillar in the India-Singapore Comprehensive Partnership. I also shared the fond memories we hold of His Excellency’s visit to Assam in 2022.” “We deeply appreciate Singapore’s partnership in #AdvantageAssam2 and look forward to strengthening our collaboration in emerging sectors such as semiconductors, green energy, and advanced technology,” the CM added. CM Sarma has also insisted that the industry players from Singapore become partners in the upcoming semiconductor manufacturing plant in the Jagiroad locality in the Morigaon district in Assam.