The discussion on “Operation Sindoor”, launched by India against Pakistan, which started in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, is the hot topic during the current session of the Parliament. Amidst the discussion, on 29th July, Union Home Minister Amit Shah blasted Congress MP and party’s deputy leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, for his previous trips to Pakistan and asked as to whether he had ever visited the India-Pakistan border.

“You have been to Pakistan many times but have you ever gone via the border Gogoi, do you understand the conditions our soldiers face,” he slammed the opposition leader mere hours after the former comments invited the ire of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Home Minister Amit Shah in Lok Sabha: You have gone to Pakistan several times but have you ever gone via the border Gogoi (Congress leader), do you understand the conditions our soldiers face pic.twitter.com/LHrV3EDrx7

— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) July 29, 2025

Sarma referred to Gogoi’s remarks as “disgrace” to the state and charged that he was “acting on behalf of Pakistan.” Additionally, he reaffirmed his allegation that the Congress leader has ties to Islamabad and might leave India “anytime” because his wife is a foreign national.

speech delivered by our MP from Jorhat in Parliament yesterday proved beyond doubt that he acts on behalf of Pakistan. His secret trip and close ties with the Pakistani establishment speak volumes. With his wife and both the kids holding foreign citizenship, he can leave India…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 29, 2025

“The entire country and the Opposition were supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Suddenly, on 10th May, we got to know that there had been a ceasefire. Why? We wanted to know from PM Modi that if Pakistan was ready to kneel, then why did you stop, and to whom did you surrender? The United States President Donald Trump has said this 26 times that he forced India and Pakistan to announce a ceasefire,” Gogoi claimed on 28th July in the Parliament.

The reason behind Amit Shah’s stinging words

Amit Shah’s remarks could catch many off guard yet there are significant reasons and the Congressman’s dubious past that support the allegations brought forth by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.

Elizabeth Coulburn, Gogoi’s British wife, is a project manager at Delhi’s Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). Surprisingly, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a Pakistani native, serves as the Regional Director of CDKN for Asia. He has a history of spreading misinformation against India, especially via his X account. He even posted in support of Gogoi for raising Delhi riots in the Parliament.

Sarma has repeatedly made grave allegations against him. “Serious questions need to be answered regarding allegations of ISI links, leading young individuals to the Pakistan Embassy for brainwashing and radicalization. and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years. Additionally, participation in a conversion cartel and receiving funds from external sources, including George Soros, to destabilize national security are grave concerns that cannot be ignored,” CM Sarma asserted in February of this year.

Moreover, Gogoi has also been charged with destroying the Opposition Unity Forum, which was headed by former president Bhupen Bora, by accepting cash in return for a ticket in the Behali elections. The party’s disgraceful defeat in the panchayat elections in his Lok Sabha constituency was probably a result of these controversies. Furthermore, he reportedly accepted gold ornaments from Rakesh Paul, a key figure in the APSC scandal.

Gogoi’s connection to Pakistan

Interestingly, a particular social media trend called “Congratulations Gaurav” surfaced when he was elected President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee. The Congress IT Cell might have started these posts but many people joined on their own initiative. Suspicious accounts flooded his feed with congratulations who appeared to be optimistic that he would cease Sarma’s actions against these extremist organisations and revitalize the Congress party, which is currently decimated.

The Sarma administration has been acting strongly against this illegal , tearing down several madrasas after learning about radical religious training being carried out in the name of religious education. It was discovered that many madrasa administrators had ties to terrorist organisations in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Radical religious leaders who sought to stir up social turmoil fiercely protested these demolitions. Maulana Ahmed Sayeed Govindpuri was among them and Gogoi had a prearranged schedule in the Barak Valley to meet him and visit other madrasas after he was elected president.