Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has defended his controversial remarks against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, asserting that his claims were based on "verifiable facts" and not political "rhetoric." Sarma's defence came after Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal accused him of making unfounded personal attacks to divert attention from corruption allegations against the state government.
Posting a series of updates on social media platform X, Sarma asserted that his statements were the result of "due diligence and careful investigation." "No Sir. Once again, I would like to state with complete responsibility and full sense of authority that every word I have said is based entirely on verifiable facts and 100% authentic information," he wrote.
The Chief Minister emphasised that his questions regarding Gogoi and his family were rooted in public interest. "These are legitimate questions arising out of facts in the public interest. There are many more questions that will be raised in due course," Sarma added, stressing that the ongoing investigation was "responsible" and "based purely on facts and documents."
The dispute began when Sarma publicly questioned whether Gogoi had travelled to Pakistan for 15 days and sought clarification on the nature of the visit. Sarma also raised concerns about Gogoi's wife, alleging possible links to a Pakistan-based NGO, and demanded further details regarding her employment, citizenship status, and that of their children.
In response, Venugopal launched a sharp rebuttal, calling Sarma's comments "pathetic" and "below-the-belt." "The Assam CM's pathetic, below-the-belt comments about Sh. Gaurav Gogoi prove that he is unfit to be in public life," Venugopal wrote on X. He accused Sarma of questioning Gogoi’s family's loyalty to divert attention from serious corruption allegations.
Venugopal stood firmly by Gogoi, describing him as an "honest leader" fighting against what he called a "police state." "Sh. Gaurav Gogoi is an honest leader who is taking on the might of a police state, we steadfastly stand by him," Venugopal stated.
Gogoi himself responded by challenging Sarma to substantiate the accusations or resign. He also questioned whether Sarma would subject his own family to the same scrutiny and raised concerns about alleged coal mafia activities in Assam's hill regions, pressing the Chief Minister for accountability.
Follow us
