The Assam Congress has slammed CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's press conference on alleged Pakistani links of Gaurav Gogoi's wife as a 'super flop'. Gogoi accused the CM of using the six-month-old SIT report as a diversion from land scam allegations.
Amid a heated battle between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, the Assam Congress on Sunday said that the press conference held by the Chief Minister alleging Pakistani links of Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi turned out to be a "complete anti-climax".
The Assam Congress said the SIT report had been kept pending for nearly six months, since September 10, and was finally placed before the Cabinet on February 7. The Congress said that despite inviting journalists from national media houses in New Delhi and organising the event with great pomp, the Chief Minister found himself in an embarrassing position while responding to questions from the media, according to a release. They claimed that the Chief Minister failed to substantiate any allegation with facts during the nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long press conference.
'Super Flop': Gaurav Gogoi Hits Back at CM Sarma
Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi said while responding to media queries that Sarma's "film" had turned into a "super flop". Gogoi remarked, "For nearly two and a half hours today, the Chief Minister made every possible effort to sell his flop film to the public. Even after all that time, he failed to convince the journalists present in the press conference hall. Just by listening to the questions asked by journalists, especially those who had come all the way from Delhi, it becomes clear how weak the Chief Minister's narrative was. Forget evidence, he could not even respond properly to their questions. I had earlier said that this film would flop. I was slightly wrong. It is not a flop, it is a super flop."
He further accused the CM of focusing on this report because the Assembly elections are coming near, stating, "Journalists were invited on September 10 with the promise that something important would be revealed. Yet it took the Chief Minister six months to finally say what he wanted to. If the matter was so serious, what was he doing for six months? Why did the file remain buried all this time? Now that elections are approaching, and after we exposed the issue of 12,000 bighas of land, and as people are coming out in large numbers in support of the 'Paribartan Yatra', the Chief Minister has suddenly chosen to screen his long-delayed flop film barely two months before the elections."
"He has failed to convince even himself, let alone his government. On the other hand, within just three days, we were able to place before the public evidence of 3,000 bighas of land owned by the Chief Minister's family. That is why their film has turned into a super flop, while our Yatra for Change has become a hit," Gogoi said.
The Assam Congress chief also referred to the coincidental link between the Chief Minister's press conference and Sipajhar, as per the release. He told the media, "Do you know why I am in Sipajhar today? On the day the Chief Minister had earlier promised to release the report on September 10, everything fell flat. That very day, in Delhi, we facilitated the joining of former Sipajhar MLA Binanda Saikia into the Congress. Even today, as the Chief Minister's film flopped once again, I am present in Sipajhar at a well-organised programme of the Darrang District Congress along with Binanda Saikia. I urge Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to learn to respect the political wisdom and awareness of the people of Assam. The people understand everything. They know that the issue of 12,000 bighas of land is real, while his claims are nothing but a flop film and a flop drama."
He also claimed to have concrete documentary evidence of the alleged 12,000 bighas of land linked to the Chief Minister. "We can disclose all details, including names. People themselves are uploading information on the 'Who Is Himanta Biswa Sarma' website. Today's two-and-a-half-hour press conference made one thing clear--the Chief Minister has no information at all," he said.
'Extremely Reprehensible': AICC General Secretary Slams CM
Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee General Secretary in charge of Assam, Jitendra Singh, strongly criticised the allegations made by the Chief Minister against former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's son, daughter-in-law and even an eight-year-old child, stating that such accusations had deeply hurt the sentiments of every citizen of Assam. "Politics is one thing, but making baseless allegations against a respected family at a personal level is extremely reprehensible. Everyone in Assam knows the contribution of Tarun Gogoi to Himanta Biswa Sarma's political rise. After betraying Tarun Gogoi for power, the Chief Minister has now been levelling serial allegations against Gaurav Gogoi for the past year," Singh said.
He further alleged that despite forming an SIT and continuing its proceedings, the government has been misleading the people of Assam through press conferences.
"The Gogoi family treated Himanta Biswa Sarma with dignity, made him an MLA and a minister. The smear campaign he is now running against the family of a father figure is deeply unfortunate," Singh said, launching another attack on the Chief Minister, saying he appeared to have lost his mental balance and had no documentary evidence to support his claims.
Singh also alleged that Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier conspired against Sarbananda Sonowal.
'Not Even a Chocolate Bomb': Senior Leaders Question SIT Report
All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, during her visit to Mangaldoi, reacted to the SIT report and accused the Chief Minister of attempting to mislead the people of Assam with false narratives, stating that the public would deliver the appropriate verdict, the release noted.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora also termed the Chief Minister's press conference a "super flop" and claimed that his earlier comments on the SIT had been proven correct. "I had said that the SIT has no authority to investigate such matters. Today, the Chief Minister himself admitted that the SIT formed by the Assam government could investigate only about 20 per cent of the alleged Pakistan link due to limitations. By accepting his government's own incompetence, he has now pushed the matter to the Central Government," Bora said.
Bora further questioned why, if the issue pertained to national security, the Chief Minister remained silent for six months after receiving the report. "If Gaurav Gogoi had travelled to Pakistan in 2013, and if the matter was so serious, why did neither the Modi government nor the investigating agencies act after 2014? Did it take 12 years to realise this?" he asked, adding that no one could be branded a 'Pakistan agent' without conclusive findings.
Taking a sharp dig, Bora said the Chief Minister had imagined detonating an "atom bomb" against Gaurav Gogoi, but what emerged was not even a "chocolate bomb". "Despite being an SIT, they neither filed an FIR nor a chargesheet, simply because there was no evidence. In the coming days, we will address the issue in detail in a separate press conference," he added.
More Congress Leaders Echo Criticism
Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, also described the SIT report as a "flop show" and said the Chief Minister had lowered the dignity of his own office, as per the release.
Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur claimed the people of Assam were fed up with the Chief Minister's theatrics.
APCC Media and Communications Department Chairman Bedabrat Bora termed the six-month-delayed SIT press conference an "anti-climax", stating that the dignity of the Chief Minister's office had been severely undermined before the national media. (ANI)
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