Guwahati, 17 May

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to drop the state's MP from the list of four parliamentarians nominated by the grand old party for the delegations to be sent abroad to explain India's stance on terrorism from Pakistan.

Without naming Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha who is among the four MPs nominated by the party, the CM maintained that he should not be included in the all-party delegations "in the interest of national security".

Sarma has been making allegations against Gogoi over his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife Elizabeth Colburn, and has claimed that the Jorhat MP had stayed for 15 days in the neighbouring country without informing authorities.

The Congress leader had dismissed the allegations.

“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," Sarma alleged on X.

He also said, “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's comment was a response to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's post on social media.

Ramesh said the Congress nominated former Union Cabinet minister Anand Sharma, its deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain, and Lok Sabha MP Raja Brar for the all-party delegations to be sent abroad to explain India's stance on terrorism from Pakistan.

The Congress on Saturday said it was asked by the government to submit the names of four MPs for the diplomatic outreach after Operation Sindoor.