New Delhi: Newly appointed Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday cleared the air for the first time that he went to Pakistan in 2013 and his wife was there for professional obligation and asked the BJP that why the NDA government has not get it probed in last 11 years being in power.
Gogoi also targeted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for targeting him and his family and said thanked him for showing his fear and insecurity from him and making him popular in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s old headquarters here, Gogoi, who is also the Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha said, “My wife spent only one year in Pakistan in 2013 while working on an international project focused on climate change in South Asia.”
“About 14–15 years ago, my wife, who is a well known expert in public policy was involved in an international initiative addressing climate change in South Asia. As part of that work, she spent a year in Pakistan and then came to India in 2012–13, where she has been working ever since,” he said, adding that the chief minister is trying to turn this into a C grade Bollywood movie with a so-called release date of September 10.
“This story is bound to be a complete flop. The people of Assam are already aware of the truth,” he added.
The Congress leader then targeted Sarma and questioned the timing and intent behind his allegations.
“If, according to these accusations, my wife or I committed any wrongdoing or illegal act, then who has been in power for the last 11–12 years? What have the central agencies been doing all this time? Everyone knows the level of scrutiny involved when someone crosses a national border — whether entering or exiting,” Gogoi remarked.
Gogoi also referred to the ED raids on illegal coal miners without any follow-up action. He said he had welcomed these raids as he had himself raised the matter both inside and outside the Parliament. He disclosed that the ED had conducted raids on April 24 in Assam & Meghalaya and seized Rs 1.58 crores in cash besides luxury vehicles and electronic gadgets. He said, surprisingly no follow-up action was taken nor were any arrests made.
He wondered whether the raid was merely a means of extortion, given the absence of any follow-up action. He pointed out, the ED has a pattern of conducting such raids ahead of elections, often resulting in the raided parties buying electoral bonds for the BJP.
He observed that there did not appear to be any intention on part of the state or the central government to take further action in the matter. He said the ED raids and seizures vindicated his charges that illegal mining was rampantly taking place in the Northeast, including Assam. At the same time, he added, these raids disproved the Assam Chief Minister’s assertion that no illegal coal mining was taking place in the state.
Gogoi also raised alarm over the rapidly problem of drug addiction in the North Eastern states. He said, drugs were being smuggled in from Myanmar in large quantities and youth were falling prey to this scourge. He observed, while the mainstream media was focusing on and highlighting the problems prevailing in the North Western parts of the country, it should also pay attention to this growing menace in the North East.
Gogoi also took strong exception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi making fun of the physical appearance of Chinese people, particularly comments about the shape of their eyes. He said, the people from North East are being targeted in Delhi and other states for the same reason—their facial features. He suggested to the Prime Minister that while dealing with China on various issues, he should show sensitivity regarding the appearance of people from that region.
