Guwahati, February 8 Opposition parties in Assam on Sunday questioned why Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi was not arrested if he is truly a Pakistani agent, and asserted that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma "failed to substantiate" all the allegations.
The ruling BJP, on the other hand, demanded Gogoi's apology for "anti-India activities" and said the allegations made by Sarma are "detrimental to national interests and damaging to public trust", and called upon Gogoi to clarify his stance.
"If Pakistani agents mean they are traitors, then the chief minister has said that Gaurav Gogoi is a Pakistani agent. This means the CM believes that Gaurav Gogoi has committed the crime of treason. Then why is he not arrested yet?" asked Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi.
He wondered if Sarma's press conference on the SIT report regarding Gogoi's alleged Pakistani links was a drama or a serious matter.
"If the Assam government can arrest you for writing poetry and for asking questions about Pakistani terrorist attacks on social media, then why doesn't the CM, who claims to have evidence, arrest a Pakistani agent?" Akhil Gogoi asked while speaking to reporters here.
Assam Jatiya Parishad president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the CM failed to substantiate his claim of Gaurav Gogoi being linked to Pakistan's ISI during the press conference.
"Sarma has dragged the Assam Police's Special Investigation Team into political battles for personal and party interests, thereby reducing the police force to a subject of public ridicule. The political use of the police will severely damage its credibility and erode public trust," he added.
Such actions could have long-term consequences for the integrity of law enforcement institutions in Assam, the AJP chief said.
Earlier during the day, Sarma alleged in a press conference that Gogoi, his British wife Elizabeth Colburn and Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh had a "deeper connection", and that information from the Intelligence Bureau was secretly passed on to the neighbouring nation.
As part of its response, the Assam BJP organised protests across 39 organisational districts of the state after Sarma's press conference.
Participating in a demonstration in Dibrugarh, Assam BJP president and MP Dilip Saikia stated that the allegations should be examined with utmost seriousness and called for a comprehensive investigation with the direct involvement of the Government of India.
"Unless Gaurav Gogoi apologises to 140 crore Indians, we will consider him a traitor and anti-national," he added.
Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal said serious allegations of anti-national activities had surfaced against Gaurav Gogoi and described them as "highly condemnable".
"Now, Gaurav Gogoi must prove his innocence. Any individual involved in conspiracies against the nation deserves condemnation. The Government of India will not forgive any force that acts against the country," he added.
Assam BJP spokesperson Pranjal Kalita described the alleged activities attributed to Gogoi as "detrimental to national interests" and damaging to public trust.
"The BJP urges Gogoi to clarify the background of defence-related questions raised in Parliament. The issues merit public explanation," he added.