"Going to Pakistan is crime": Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma targets Gaurav Gogoi

Jagiroad (Assam) [India], May 4 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a scathing attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi over his alleged visit to Pakistan, stating that "going to Pakistan is a crime" and demanded answers regarding the purpose of the visit and related activities.
Speaking to reporters, CM Sarma said, "If we can arrest 40 persons who spoke in support of Pakistan, then we can take action against Gaurav Gogoi for his Pakistan visit. Gaurav Gogoi is not God. Gaurav Gogoi should have answered whether he had visited Pakistan or not."
Questioning further, the Chief Minister asked the reasons behind Gogoi's wife visit to Pakistan 19 times. He further called Gogoi a "criminal."
Sarma said, "Whether he changed his children's citizenship by consulting with his children or made the decision himself; why did his wife travel to Pakistan 19 times? If he doesn't give the answer, then Himanta Biswa Sarma knows very well how to get the answer. Gaurav Gogoi is not God, for me, he is a criminal."
Attacking further, CM Sarma said that going to Pakistan is a "crime" and the Congress leader needs to answer the reasons behind his visit.
"In my view, going to Pakistan is a crime. There are no Kaziranga, Manas, or Orang (national parks) in Pakistan. Whose house in Pakistan did he go to? He will have to inform us. How do you find out the answer? The Assam government, Assam SIT, and Himanta Biswa Sarma know it well," the Chief Minister added.
On Saturday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for focusing on personal attacks instead of addressing the pressing issues of children in the state, including rising school dropout rates, child labour, and worsening government education standards.
Speaking to the media, Gogoi responded to recent remarks made by the Chief Minister, who had controversially stated he would resign if Gogoi could prove that his child holds Indian citizenship. Dismissing the statement as a political diversion, Gogoi focused on what he termed the real crisis affecting Assam's future, its children.
"The Chief Minister is concerned with my children. That is his choice, his prerogative. I am concerned with the welfare of the children of Assam. Today, drop-out rates are increasing. Children are being sold into slavery. The condition of government schools is deteriorating every day. Children are so impoverished that they are being forced into labour. I take responsibility for addressing these issues as a member of the Congress party," Gogoi said.
The Congress MP criticised the BJP for politicising personal matters rather than focusing on governance and social welfare. He emphasised that such distractions serve no purpose while fundamental issues in the education and social sectors remain unaddressed.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that the Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi's children are not Indian citizens.
Speaking to mediapersons, Chief Minister Sarma said, "I have evidence that Gaurav Gogoi's son and daughter are not Indian citizens. We are examining what he did there (Pakistan) for 15 days. There is no tourism place in Pakistan; it is only a terrorist adda. It is 100 per cent confirmed that he went there, but what did he do there in 15 days? Robert Vadra and Gaurav Gogoi are more concerned about Pakistan than India."
Gaurav Gogoi also weighed in on the recent tensions with Pakistan and the Indian government's stance on national security. Amid growing concerns over terrorism and border security, Gogoi expressed support for a firm diplomatic response from New Delhi.
The comments come amid heightened political activity in Assam during the panchayat election. The Chief Minister's remark on Gogoi's family sparked a wave of reactions across party lines, with the Congress calling it a "desperate personal attack." (ANI)