Congress' Jairam Ramesh condemns Assam CM's "smear campaign" against Gaurav Gogoi, says legal action being initiated

New Delhi [India], February 16 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh came out heavily against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma Biswa, and termed his allegations against party MP Gaurav Gogoi and his wife Elizabeth Gogoi as an "atrocious smear campaign".
He further affirmed that legal action is being initiated in the matter right away.
"The Assam CM and the BJP have begun an atrocious smear campaign targeting my colleague Gaurav Gogoi. This is character assassination of the worst type. Legal action is being initiated right away," read an X post by Jairam Ramesh.
Ramesh, who is Congress General Secretary in charge of communications, said that CM Himanta is levelling these allegations because the Assam assembly elections are going to take place in 12 months and Gaurav Gogoi has been at the "forefront of revealing blatant corruption" of the Assam ChiefMinister.
"The smear campaign is because Gaurav Gogoi won the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in June 2024 in spite of the Assam CM and other ministers camping in Jorhat and campaigning against him. It is also because the Jorhat MP has been in the forefront, revealing the blatant corruption and blackdeeds of the Assam CM," Ramesh said in the post.
He also exuded confidence in Congress winning the upcoming assembly elections in Assam next year.
"The Assam CM - like his Supreme Leader in New Delhi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi)- is a master of defamation, distortion, and diversion. He is trying desperately to get the minds of the people of Assam away from his failures and false claims. But in about twelve months, the people of Assam will make him a former CM and make his party sit in the opposition," Ramesh added.
Earlier on Saturday, Assam CM Himanta welcomed the legal action being initiated by Congress, and also reminded the party of their "humiliating defeat" in the previous assembly election and that it is his prerogative to protect the national security of the nation.
"Who will be the former and present Chief Minister will be decided by the people of Assam--not by you. I do not wish to remind you of the humiliating defeat Congress has faced since 2014. However, as long as we hold office, we are bound by our oath to protect the security of the nation," read the X post by the Assam CM.
Advising the Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to move court at the earliest, he said, "Therefore, I also advise the concerned MP to move the court at earliest so that at the very least, this issue can be discussed on a judicial platform. I wholeheartedly welcome legal action against me. In fact, the Government of Assam is also initiating legal proceedings from today."
This comes amid the row which erupted after the Assam CM alleged that Gaurav Gogoi's wife, Elizabeth Colbourn Gogoi, has connections with the Pakistani government and George Soros' Open Society. He also raised questions about the timing of certain events linked to Gogoi's political actions and associations, including a 2015 meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner to India.
The Assam CM has demanded that Gogoi and his wife answer serious questions about their alleged links to the ISI and their involvement in taking young minds to the Pakistan High Commission for "brainwashing and radicalisation. (ANI)