Did SIT Question Congress Leader Ripun Bora About Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistan Links?

Guwahati, May 29 (NationPress) Ripun Bora, the former president of the Assam Congress and a member of the Rajya Sabha, faced extensive interrogation on Thursday by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police after he came to the defense of Gaurav Gogoi regarding his trip to Pakistan in 2013.

Bora reaffirmed his willingness to assist the law, emphasizing that he has nothing to conceal.

“They can summon me a hundred times. We in the Congress party uphold the law,” Bora stated to reporters after the interrogation led by SIT head Rosie Kalita.

Bora claimed that the investigators were trying to corner him with a series of probing questions concerning his public challenge to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegations against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi.

“They questioned me about my reasons to dispute the Chief Minister's accusations and the basis for my challenge,” he said, maintaining a firm stance on his previous remarks and denying all allegations against Gogoi.

Bora urged the SIT to investigate BJP MLA Diganta Kalita, who allegedly posted detailed information on Facebook about a supposed 2013 trip by Gogoi to Pakistan, including specifics like a flight to Karachi, hotel accommodations, and dinner with Pakistani nationals.

“How could Diganta Kalita have such intricate details unless he was accompanying Gogoi?” Bora questioned, noting that Kalita was still associated with Congress and close to Gogoi at that time.

Bora explicitly requested that the SIT call in Kalita, arguing that only someone with direct knowledge could have composed such a comprehensive post.

“If he wasn’t with Gogoi, how could he know all this?” he pressed.

In response to recent comments from Sarma, who insinuated that Bora had more information regarding Gogoi's alleged overseas trip, the Congress leader dismissed the assertion.

“Not everything the Chief Minister states is accurate,” he remarked, adding, “I addressed all inquiries from the SIT and defended every claim I made. Gaurav Gogoi has never unlawfully visited Pakistan.”

Earlier, Ripun Bora suggested that Sarma is anxious about Gogoi's rising popularity, perceiving him as a significant threat to his political future.

“Himanta Biswa Sarma is convinced he will lose the election if Congress promotes Gaurav Gogoi as its chief ministerial candidate. Gogoi’s increasing acceptance throughout the state has evidently unsettled him,” Bora stated.

Bora highlighted Gogoi’s victory in the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat during the 2024 general elections, despite what he termed a full-scale effort by the BJP to undermine him, as evidence of Gogoi’s growing political influence.

“The Chief Minister is attempting to label Gogoi as an ISI agent without presenting any proof. No one is taking these unfounded allegations seriously,” Bora remarked.

Defending Gogoi’s spouse, Elizabeth Colburn, a British national working for an international NGO present in Pakistan, Bora dismissed any implications of misconduct.

“She may have worked in Pakistan or received compensation for that employment. What’s wrong with that? Numerous Pakistanis legally work in India, too,” he concluded.