'For national security': Himanta Sarma urges Rahul Gandhi to remove 'Assam MP' from list of Congress members for all-party delegations

NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday urged Congress' top leader Rahul Gandhi to remove an "MP from Assam" from the list of four parliamentarians nominated by the grand old party to be part of the government-announced delegations which will go to various countries to explain India's stance on terrorism from Pakistan.

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While Sarma did not name the said Congress MP, he seemed to be referring to Gaurav Gogoi, Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha. The BJP leader has been alleging Gogoi has "Pakistan links" through the latter's British spouse Elizabeth Colburn, and has claimed the Jorhat MP had stayed for 15 days in the neighbouring country without informing the Indian authorities.

Gogoi has dismissed the allegations.

"One of the MPs named in the list has not denied his prolonged stay in Pakistan- reportedly for two weeks -and credible documents show his wife was drawing salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while working in India. In the interest of national security and beyond partisan politics, I urge leader of opposition Sri Rahul Gandhi not to include this individual in such a sensitive and strategic assignment," Sarma posted on X.

One of the MPs named in the list ( from Assam ) has not denied his prolonged stay in Pakistan—reportedly for two weeks—and credible documents show that his wife was drawing salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while working in India.

In the interest of national security and beyond… https://t.co/Y1thJAgMy8

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 17, 2025

Later, in an interaction with the media, Sarma, a former Congressman, claimed that during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, "this MP from Assam" didn't criticize Pakistan.

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"The entire idea of sending the delegation is to expose Pakistan, but this MP from Assam has never criticised Pakistan, even during the peak of the conflict. He posted only indirectly. We have information he visited Pakistan; he didn't deny that. We have evidence a Pakistani NGO has been paying the MP's wife for at least 2 years, and that the NGO has close relations with the ISI (Pakistan's intelligence agency). How can that MP expose Pakistan when he himself is involved with that country? Hence, I have requested Rahul Gandhi not to include him in the delegation," Sarma stated.

#WATCH | Guwahati | On his post on 'X' urging Rahul Gandhi not to include a Congress MP from Assam in the delegation visiting different countries from across parties after #OperationSindoor, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says, "The delegation is to visit various countries against… pic.twitter.com/OuANGw0e5i

— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2025

Besides Gogoi, the Congress has nominated ex-Union minister Anand Sharma, Rajya Sabha member Syed Naseer Hussain, and Lok Sabha MP Amarinder Singh "Raja" Brar for the all-party delegations.