A major political controversy unfolded in Assam on Sunday after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made serious allegations against Congress MP and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, accusing him and his British wife Elizabeth Gogoi of having deep connections with a Pakistani national and indirectly sharing sensitive information with Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, Sarma claimed that intelligence inputs suggested a close association between Gogoi, his wife Elizabeth Colburn, and Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. The Chief Minister alleged that the trio was part of what he described as an international conspiracy operating against India’s interests.
Sarma further claimed that Colburn violated the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act while working in India. According to him, she was associated with an Indian NGO but allegedly continued to receive salary payments from Sheikh, who runs the Pakistan-based organisation LEAD Pakistan. The Chief Minister alleged that funds were routed from Pakistan to India in violation of FCRA norms, stating that Pakistani entities cannot legally donate to Indian organisations.
The Assam CM also alleged that Colburn gathered sensitive information related to climate action policies after the Narendra Modi government came to power and shared a detailed report with Sheikh. He claimed that a 45-page document containing sensitive inputs was sent to Pakistan, raising concerns about national security. Sarma further alleged that Colburn travelled to Islamabad multiple times while working with Indian and international NGOs and maintained a Pakistani bank account, the status of which remained unclear during questioning.
Escalating the political attack, Sarma alleged that Gaurav Gogoi undertook a “very confidential” visit to Pakistan in December 2013, staying there for around ten days while maintaining complete digital silence. He claimed that Gogoi may have undergone some form of training during the visit, a charge that has drawn strong reactions from the Congress.
The Chief Minister also questioned Gogoi’s conduct in Parliament, alleging that after becoming an MP, he raised questions related to defence preparedness, military infrastructure, nuclear facilities, espionage, and the Kashmir conflict. Sarma claimed that such questions from a first-time MP, following a visit to Pakistan, raised serious suspicions.
The Assam government has also announced plans to seek the cancellation of Elizabeth Colburn’s Overseas Citizenship of India status, stating that her presence in the country was detrimental to India’s national interest. Sarma further claimed that Gogoi did not disclose certain details related to foreign accounts in his election affidavit and suggested that the matter should be taken up with the Election Commission.
Responding sharply to the allegations, Gaurav Gogoi dismissed the press conference as political drama and called it “worse than a C-grade cinema.” In a post on social media platform X, Gogoi accused the Assam Chief Minister of making baseless and mindless allegations to divert attention from governance issues and alleged land encroachment cases involving the CM’s family.
Gogoi described the press conference as a “super flop” and claimed that the Congress’s outreach campaign in Assam was exposing the failures of the state government. He maintained that the allegations were politically motivated and timed to influence public opinion ahead of the Assembly elections.
Clarifying the legal position, Sarma said that the Assam Police’s Special Investigation Team did not question Gogoi as he is a sitting Member of Parliament, leaving the matter to central agencies. He added that arresting Gogoi at this stage could be perceived as political vendetta but warned that failure to clarify the Pakistan visit could invite charges of treason.
The controversy has intensified political tensions in Assam, with both the BJP and Congress trading sharp accusations as the state moves closer to Assembly elections. With the matter reportedly referred to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the issue is expected to remain a major flashpoint in Assam’s political discourse in the coming days.