Himanta Biswa Sarma links Congress MP’s wife to ISI, Gogoi calls it political ploy

BJP leaders in Assam, including Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have launched an offensive against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, alleging links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through his wife’s past professional engagements, a claim Gogoi has dismissed as a pre-election smear campaign.

The controversy escalated on Wednesday after Sarma questioned the foreign citizenship of Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Gogoi, who is originally from the UK and works in climate policy, The Indian Express reported.

In a post on X, Sarma argued that while Indian Foreign Services officers require government permission to marry foreigners, lawmakers’ spouses retaining foreign citizenship for extended periods raises concerns about national loyalty.

The allegations gained traction following social media claims that Elizabeth had worked in Pakistan between 2011 and 2015 while employed with the Climate Development and Knowledge Network (CDKN), Asia.

Sarma intensified the attack in a subsequent post, suggesting that serious questions needed to be addressed regarding purported ISI connections, alleged radicalisation activities, and Elizabeth’s decision not to take Indian citizenship despite being married to Gogoi for 12 years.

Reacting to the accusations, Gogoi dismissed them as politically motivated, recalling that similar narratives had surfaced before past elections. Speaking to reporters, he asserted that such claims typically emerge as electoral battles approach, aimed at sowing doubt among voters.

He also suggested that Sarma’s involvement in the controversy indicated insecurity about his own position as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in the 2026 Assam Assembly election.

With more than a year remaining before the state polls, the BJP’s early attack on Gogoi hints at a prolonged political battle, with the Congress MP positioning himself against what he describes as a pattern of electoral misinformation.