Presidency of Friendship Group Not Exoneration: Pabitra Margherita on Gaurav Gogoi

Union minister of state and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Assam, Pabitra Margherita, on Tuesday reacted to Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi’s nomination as the president of the India-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group, saying that it did not amount to an exoneration of serious allegations of undermining national security.

Gogoi, who is also the president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), was nominated by the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to act as the president for the India-Philippines Parliamentary Friendship Group, a move that Margherita called a routine process.

The minister said, “He has not been given chairmanship; only made the president of the India-Philippines group. This is a routine process. He is still a member of parliament and as such, will be part of parliamentary affairs.”

“When an appropriate judicial ruling finds him guilty, all his privileges will go away,” added Margherita.

Pakistan Links

Gogoi’s nomination as the President of the India-Philippines group comes after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused him of acting against India’s interests by having links to Pakistan. Sarma alleged that the Jorhat MP’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, had worked in Pakistan, and her ties to Ali Tauqueer Sheikh, who was found to harbour anti-India objectives in an Assam police SIT probe, undermined India’s national security.

Addressing a press conference today, Pabitra Margherita further said, “Gaurav Gogoi has not been proven guilty. As such, he can take responsibility for the group formed to further friendly ties with the Philippines.”

“This is not a clean-chit for Gaurav Gogoi. He continues to enjoy all parliamentary privileges. Meanwhile, the investigation into his Pakistan links will continue,” he added.

Parliamentary Friendship Groups

Notably, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Monday formed Parliamentary Friendship Groups with more than 60 countries, with several opposition members in them, including those MPs who were suspended from the Lower House over unruly behaviour recently.

Opposition leaders like Congress’ Shashi Tharoor and P Chidambaram, K Kanimozhi of DMK, Derek O’Brien and Abhishek Banerjee of Trinamool Congress, Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena-UBT, Supriya Sule of NCP-SP, Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM, and Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav, will chair the parliamentary groups, each having 11 members. Gaurav Gogoi got nominated to chair the group with the Philippines.

The move is being seen as a way to mend ties with opposition parties as the Lok Sabha Speaker faces a no-confidence motion over alleged partisanship.

Also Read: Gaurav Gogoi's ‘Pakistan Link’ Case Sent to Centre Along With Proof: Assam CM