Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh revealed that the party had submitted four names to the Centre following a request from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju
Digital Desk: Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi has been left out of the high-powered all-party delegations to travel to world capitals to submit India's position against terrorism after the latest Pahalgam attack.
The move follows strong objections raised by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has accused Gogoi of secretly visiting Pakistan and failing to inform Indian authorities about the trip. Sarma has also questioned the alleged Pakistan links of Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn, and has publicly challenged the Congress MP to clarify his position.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh made the news public that four names had been sent by the party to the Centre after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju requested the same. They were all senior Congress leaders: Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Dr. Syed Naseer Hussain, and Raja Brar. Only one of them, Anand Sharma, was chosen from among them. Other Congress members elected by the government are Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, and Dr. Amar Singh, all of whom were not on the Congress high command's shortlist.
Tharoor, in particular, has drawn criticism from within the party for allegedly not consulting Congress leadership before accepting the role to head the delegation to the U.S. and other countries. However, Gogoi’s exclusion is being viewed as the most significant snub, given the political sensitivities around the accusations against him.
Meanwhile, the Assam Chief Minister is expected to meet with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan links. According to sources, the SIT will brief the CM on the evidence collected so far, and there is a possibility that both Gogoi and his wife may soon be formally questioned as part of the investigation. The case continues to spark political tensions at both the state and national levels.
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