Congress accuses CM of misleading public over Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan link
APCC Vice President Naba Talukdar says Sarma’s Pakistan-link charge against APCC chief is a smokescreen to hide govt failures
APCC Vice President Naba Talukdar (right) (AT Image)
Guwahati, Nov 2: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Saturday hit back at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of “concealing facts” and “misleading the public” after his recent remarks linking state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi to Pakistan.
Addressing reporters in Guwahati, APCC vice-president Naba Talukdar said the Chief Minister’s repeated allegations without proof were not only baseless but also “helping Pakistan by spreading confusion within the country”.
“Any matter that concerns national security or sovereignty should not be hidden from the public. The Chief Minister had promised to make the SIT report public by September 10 but failed to do so. Now we are in November. If he truly has evidence, let him produce it. Otherwise, it’s clear he is hiding the truth,” Talukdar said.
The Congress leader also questioned the logic behind the allegations, pointing out that if Gogoi indeed had links with Pakistan, the government should have already taken legal action.
“If such claims are true, why is Gaurav Gogoi still moving freely? In that case, both the Chief Minister and the police would be answerable,” he added.
Talukdar further demanded an independent inquiry against the Chief Minister, stating that Sarma’s delay in releasing the SIT findings “only raises more suspicion”.
He said the Chief Minister owed the people an explanation on the status of the investigation and the alleged evidence.
“Why would we file a defamation case? It is the Chief Minister who initiated an SIT probe against our president. The real question is, where is the SIT report?” Talukdar asked.
Accusing Sarma of attempting to distract the public from his government’s failures, Talukdar said the claims against Gogoi were “politically motivated and completely baseless”.
He also drew a parallel with the ongoing investigation into late cultural icon Zubeen Garg’s death, alleging that the government is using SIT probes selectively to divert attention.
“The Chief Minister says the SIT report in the Zubeen Garg case cannot be made public because it might ‘divert’ attention. How can justice or national interest ever be a diversion? This is unacceptable,” he asserted.