Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to defend his late father, Tarun Gogoi, who was implicated in a ‘cash-for-job’ scam in a government report. The report highlighted Tarun Gogoi’s role in appointing Rakesh Kumar Paul, linked to widespread corruption in the Assam Public Service Commission. Sarma also accused Gaurav of failing to declare costly wedding gifts from Paul to the Income Tax Department. Additionally, Sarma raised concerns about Gaurav Gogoi’s wife possibly having ties with Pakistani entities and announced an investigation into these allegations, claiming they could severely impact the Congress party.
On Thursday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma called on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to stand up for his father, Tarun Gogoi, who has been implicated in a government report regarding the ‘cash-for-job’ scandal in the recruitment of state civil services. During a discussion on the Motion of Thanks concerning the Governor’s speech in the Assam Assembly, Mr. Sarma stated that he felt compelled to present the report after Congress’s insistence.
“I want Gaurav Gogoi, as the son of Tarun Gogoi, to defend his father. It is peculiar that three days have passed since the report was released and allegations against his father were made, yet there has been no response. These are the champions of new Assam… Tarun Gogoi is no longer with us, and I never wished for his memory to be tainted by corruption associated with the APSC,” remarked the Chief Minister.
The report, which investigated the irregularities in the Assam Public Service Commission’s (APSC) Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) during 2013 and 2014, was presented in the state assembly earlier this week. It pointed out the involvement of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in appointing the primary accused, Rakesh Kumar Paul, first as a member and subsequently as the chairman of the APSC.
According to the report, Mr. Paul’s appointment was entirely based on a personal application he submitted to Mr. Gogoi on September 6, 2008, without any official selection process or background checks. The method was deemed “ill-founded, paving the way for rampant corruption.” It further described how Mr. Paul turned the APSC into a “job-selling shop.”
The report also highlighted that Mr. Paul presented gold jewelry to Gaurav Gogoi as a wedding gift.
The Assam Chief Minister accused the opposition leader of failing to report the expensive gifts received during his wedding to the Income Tax Department.
“Receiving gifts at a wedding is common, but it needs to be disclosed to Income Tax. I reviewed his 2014 election affidavit, and this jewelry was not mentioned there. We’re all aware that the gift tax stands at 30 percent. Gaurav has not denied accepting the gifts in the past three days,” he stated.
He added in the assembly that eventually, he would present a comparative document detailing the “dark history” of Congress’s rule alongside the BJP’s “transparent and clean” recruitment system in the state.
Row over Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistani links
In another matter, Mr. Sarma criticized Gaurav Gogoi regarding his supposed links to Pakistan during the assembly session.
A controversy ignited on February 12 when BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Mr. Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn, of having connections with the ISI while she was employed with the Climate and Knowledge Development Network in Islamabad under Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a former advisor to Pakistan’s Planning Commission. Mr. Sarma made similar assertions that day without naming Mr. Gogoi, which drew a sharp response from the Congress leader.
On Monday, the Chief Minister indicated that Ms. Colburn would be investigated for her alleged connections to Pakistan and her purported involvement in Lok Sabha election campaigns despite being a British citizen.
“Pakistani national Ali Sheikh, against whom the state government has filed an FIR for his remarks that could threaten internal peace in the country, is reported to have visited India at least 18 times between 2010 and 2018, as revealed by preliminary investigations conducted by Assam Police. The SIT examining the issue discovered within just three days that Sheikh made multiple trips to India. A thorough investigation will uncover who facilitated his visits to India and who he met with. This information will be shared in the coming days,” Mr. Sarma informed the assembly.
He went on to say, “The initial findings I have concerning this matter could be very damaging for the Congress party. They will find it hard to manage… The committee’s report was only 10 percent of the issue. This matter of Pakistani links is 1000 percent larger, and it is going to be significant.”