- Himanta Biswa Sarma threatened to hand over an inquiry into 'Pak links' to Gaurav Gogoi's wife to the NIA
- On Tuesday Mr Gogoi cricised the government's military strategy after the April 22 Pahalgam teror attack
- He was countered by Amit Shah, who raked up the issue of his visit to Pakistan
On Tuesday Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi delivered a fierce speech in Parliament on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, asking questions of the government's military strategy and demanding transparency about the number of Indian fighter jets shot down by Pakistan.
On Wednesday Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma threatened to transfer an ongoing state inquiry - into 'links' between the Congress leader's wife and a Pak-based non-governmental organisation - to the federal anti-terror body, the National Investigation Agency.
Mr Sarma said the SIT, or special investigative team, formed by his government believes a 'deeper' inquiry into the 'links' between the Gogois and Pakistan is necessary.
The Chief Minister said he may recommend the NIA take over later this year.
The threat followed comments by Home Minister Amit Shah and Dilip Saikia, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Assam, in Parliament. The former accused Mr Gogoi of having travelled to Pak and the latter targeted his wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, of being 'on the payroll' of that country.
As justification Mr Saikia claimed Pak media reports- as part of reportage on the Parliament session - used parts of his speech in articles critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Gogoi later responded to Amit Shah's attacks, saying, "I went to Pakistan before Modiji went to Pakistan to eat biryani... I don't know why he (Amit Shah) brought that up."
"Today was the time for the present government to accept its failures. Instead... Amit Shah ji wanted to hide his failures behind the valour and the patriotism of the Indian military."
Mr Shah, meanwhile, responded sharply to Mr Gogoi's comments about Pak infiltrators and said, "You have been to Pak many times, Gogoi... ever been to the border?"
The Assam Chief Minister pounced quickly, posting excerpts from Mr Shah and Mr Saikia's speeches on X and accusing the Congress leader of 'aligning with Pakistani interests'.
"The speech delivered by our MP from Jorhat in Parliament yesterday proved beyond doubt he acts on behalf of Pakistan," Mr Sarma said on X, and dragged Mr Gogoi's children into the attack, "... and with his wife and both kids holding foreign citizenship, he can leave India any time."
Earlier Mr Sarma - once a close aide of Mr Gogoi's father and former Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi - had set a deadline of September 10 to reveal "damning" allegations, i.e., Ms Gogoi was involved in gathering confidential information relating to national security.
READ | "Is It True That Your Wife...": Himanta Sarma vs Congress MP Turns Personal
In May Mr Gogoi slammed the allegations and accused the Chief Minister of lying. Mr Gogoi acknowledged his trip to Pakistan but said that was 15 years ago, when he was not a MP.
