Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has taken a different approach to the controversy surrounding Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn, suggesting that he may have been “trapped or blackmailed” as part of a larger “anti-India” conspiracy.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Sarma on Sunday said the matter had gone beyond politics and was now a national security issue.
“We started discussing this topic about a parliamentarian, but now it has escalated to a much higher level. It is no longer related to Gaurav Gogoi. Now, we have proof or information of an anti-India force actively working behind this. We will decide in today’s cabinet,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that he would take up the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discuss how the state government’s investigation could be aligned with central agencies.
He also hinted that Gogoi might have been unknowingly caught in a bigger conspiracy.
“Now it looks like Gaurav Gogoi is just an actor in the entire system, he is not the director. Maybe he is trapped unintentionally. So, we will examine the matter with a sympathetic outlook. We don’t want to accuse him at this moment,” Sarma said.
Referring to international involvement, he claimed that Gogoi could have been pressured or manipulated. “The way London, America, and Islamabad are involved, he may be blackmailed also. Who knows about it? Therefore, the entire subject requires serious deep investigation,” he added.
Sarma also responded to Gogoi’s Facebook letter to Colburn and the Congress leader’s efforts to showcase her cultural integration by singing Bihu songs in Assamese attire. “Even tourists coming to Kaziranga National Park would sing a Bihu song if the person is made to wear Mekhela Chadar,” he remarked.
He further claimed that he had developed sympathy for Gogoi after learning about the broader situation. “I have sympathy for Gogoi. Someone must have trapped him. Initially, I thought that he probably committed it. But when I learnt about the entire picture where some big names are involved, I developed sympathy that he has been trapped,” Sarma said.
The Chief Minister further said that he would submit all relevant documents to Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah to allow the party to verify the facts. “Perhaps, the Congress is unaware of the full picture,” he said. He also confirmed that once the case is fully investigated, he would send details to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the Prime Minister, and the Home Minister. “This is a matter of national security,” he asserted.
Last week, Sarma had intensified his attack on Gogoi, raising questions about Colburn’s alleged ISI links, her supposed role in radicalisation and brainwashing, and her refusal to take Indian citizenship over the last 12 years.
He also accused Gogoi of raising sensitive defence issues in Parliament after marrying a British citizen, a charge the Congress leader strongly denied as a “false accusation”.
Sarma further questioned the involvement of a former Pakistani minister who tweeted about Assam’s foreigner issue and allegedly tagged an ISI-linked individual from Assam.
He linked this development to Gogoi’s past visit to the Pakistan embassy, referencing a widely shared photograph of him with a former Pakistani diplomat. “Gogoi himself admitted to visiting the Pakistan embassy, but his supporters claimed that the photograph was morphed.”
The controversy has triggered a strong political response, with Congress leaders standing firmly behind Gogoi.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh dismissed the allegations as “an atrocious smear campaign” and “character assassination of the worst type”. He confirmed that legal action was being initiated immediately.
The Assam Cabinet on Sunday passed a resolution condemning alleged attempts to destabilise the state by Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who is reportedly linked to the ISI.
The move comes after the Chief Minister claimed that Gogoi’s wife had worked under Sheikh.
Meanwhile, Sarma also took a swipe at the Congress over the upcoming Assam Assembly elections in 2026, responding to Jairam Ramesh’s claim that the BJP would be voted out of power in a year.
“Who will be the former and present Chief Minister will be decided by Assam’s people – not by you. I do not wish to remind you of the humiliating defeat Congress has faced since 2014,” Sarma said.