CM Sarma & Wasbir Hussain Appeared Prompt in Replying to Gaurav Gogoi

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded to Lok Sabha MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi’s recent social media post, in which photographs of prominent individuals were used in connection with the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFPP).

CM Sarma stressed that the meetings attended by intellectuals and prominent citizens should not be equated with Gogoi’s meeting with the Pakistani envoy.

In a Facebook post, Himanta Biswa Sarma stated, "The Honorable MP shared photos of the honorable persons on social media and demonstrated that they were also invited to his meeting. But these meetings cannot be aligned with his meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner and the parliamentary questions made after that."

The Chief Minister also raised key concerns, questioning whether Gogoi had obtained the Government of India’s consent before meeting the Pakistani envoy and whether he had informed the Home or Foreign Affairs Ministry about it afterwards.

"Sharing photos of intellectuals and prominent citizens does not change the main issue," Sarma asserted, adding that such actions only serve to divert attention from the matter of accountability.

Meanwhile, senior journalist Wasbir Hussain has expressed strong disapproval over Lok Sabha MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Gaurav Gogoi’s recent social media post, where Hussain’s photograph was used associating him with the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFPP). In a Facebook post on Friday, Hussain stated, "I am surprised that Mr. Gaurav Gogoi has put up my photographs in a social media post today which is totally out of context."

Hussain pointed out that Gogoi is currently in the news for two reasons - first, due to claims that his wife is still a foreign national, and second, for his past meeting with then-Pakistani High Commissioner to India, Abdul Basit, at the Pakistani Embassy. He stated that while no one objects to discussions and workshops organized by Gogoi’s Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFFP), using his old photographs in a different context is "uncalled for."

“As a journalist, I am not interested in the political aspects, and I do not want my photos at events in the past to be used out of context. Trying to bring my name into an ongoing Pakistan-linked controversy is unwarranted,” Hussain remarked.

Earlier today, Gaurav Gogoi in a Facebook post shared details about his association with the YFPP amid the ongoing controversy linking him to Pakistan where he named Gauhati University VC (Vice Chancellor) Nani Gopal Mahanta and journalist Wasbir Hussain. “Seeing a photo of a panel discussion featuring former Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit brought back memories of the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFFP), which I co-founded in 2011 with a few friends” - Gogoi wrote in his post.