Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Opposition have entered into a major political confrontation over two separate controversies: an AI-generated video posted by the Assam BJP and serious allegations made by Sarma against Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and his British wife.

The controversy began after the Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared an AI-generated video on social media, which allegedly showed the Chief Minister “targeting” minorities. The video showed an AI-generated version of CM Sarma aiming a rifle and firing at a photo of two individuals wearing skull caps. The post carried the caption, “point blank shot.”

The same video post also featured a photo of Himanta Biswa Sarma along with text that read, “Identity, land and roots come first; Why did you go to Pakistan; No forgiveness for Bangladeshis.” The BJP’s post on X has now been deleted.

The Opposition strongly criticised the video, calling it dangerous and inflammatory. Congress, in a post on X, alleged that the video “appears to glorify the targeted, ‘point-blank’ murder of minorities.” It further called the content “deeply abhorrent and disturbing” and said it should not be treated as simple online trolling. The Congress stated, “It is deeply abhorrent and disturbing and cannot be dismissed as random troll content. This amounts to a call to mass violence and genocide.”

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also condemned the video, saying it could not be ignored as troll content. He added that since “poison being spread from the very top,” there must be consequences for such messaging.

While the BJP and Sarma faced backlash over the now-deleted post, the Assam Chief Minister held a press conference in Guwahati and released documents to support another set of allegations claiming that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and his British wife have Pakistani “deep links.”

During the press conference, Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that Gaurav Gogoi had secretly visited Pakistan in 2013 without informing authorities. He went further to claim that Gogoi may have received training there. According to news agency PTI, the Chief Minister said he suspected Gogoi had undergone “some kind of training there.”

Sarma also recalled an incident from his trip to Singapore related to an investment proposal for Assam, where he said a photograph of Gaurav Gogoi visiting the Pakistan Embassy with some youth had gone viral. The Chief Minister claimed the then Pakistani High Commissioner, Abdul Basit, was present in the image. Sarma said, “Abdul Basit was the then High Commissioner of Pakistan to India. In a manner, he attempted to legitimise Pakistan.”

The Chief Minister further added that this photo should be viewed in the context of India’s history with Pakistan, stating, “If you see this photo in the backdrop of the Kargil War, Captain Jintu Gogoi from Assam sacrificed himself for the nation. Several others sacrificed themselves to the nation.”

Sarma claimed the photo was initially believed to be photoshopped, but later appeared genuine when Congress leaders allegedly began endorsing it. He said what first seemed fake turned out to be “true” when members of Congress started supporting it.

In his press conference, Sarma made additional allegations about Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi. He claimed that after conducting an “elaborate search,” it was found that she had worked in Pakistan from March 2011 to March 2012. Sarma alleged that she was collecting information about India and sending it to Pakistan. He also claimed that she visited Pakistan nine times while working with two Indian organisations.

Sarma further alleged that the Gogoi family had links to a Pakistani individual named Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. He claimed, “We believe a deeper connection among Gaurav, his wife, and Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. We recommend a probe by a central agency.” Sarma alleged that Elizabeth was hired by a Pakistani firm and later transferred to India, but her salary was allegedly “paid by Sheikh.”

In response, Gaurav Gogoi rejected all allegations and attacked the Chief Minister’s press conference, calling it a failure. In a post on X, Gogoi said, “I pity the journalists from Delhi and Assam who had to suffer the most flop press conference of the century. This was worse than a C-grade cinema.” He further added, “Most mindless and bogus points offered by the so-called political shrewd Chief Minister.”

Gogoi also described the press conference as a “Super Flop,” saying, “This Super Flop is in contrast to our Xomoy Parivartan Yatra, which has been a hit in uncovering the 12,000 bighas of land occupied by the Chief Minister and his family members.”

Gogoi claimed that Sarma was bringing up old allegations to divert attention from the Congress’s claims of a “12,000-bigha” land grab involving the Chief Minister and his family. He said, “Earlier, I also said that this will flop; this is not a flop, it is a super flop.” Gogoi also alleged that Sarma had planned to raise the issue earlier but delayed it, stating, “He (Sarma) intended to say this on September 10, but he fell asleep for 6 months afterwards.”

Questioning the delay, Gogoi asked why the issue was not raised earlier if it was so serious. He said, “If it is important, what was he doing for the last 6 months?” He also said that with elections approaching, the Congress was highlighting the alleged land issue. Gogoi stated, “By seeing the Samay Parivartan Yatra, people are coming out, and people want to see a new Bor Assam.”

Meanwhile, Congress leaders came out in support of Gogoi and strongly criticised Sarma. AICC General Secretary (in charge of Assam) Jitendra Singh said the Chief Minister had damaged the dignity of his office. He claimed, “The CM appeared to have lost his mental balance and had no documentary evidence to support his claims.” Singh added, “Politics is one thing, but making baseless allegations against a respected family at a personal level is extremely reprehensible.”

Former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora also called the press conference a “super flop.” He questioned the authority of the SIT, stating, “I had said the SIT has no authority to investigate such matters.” He also pointed out that Sarma admitted the SIT could investigate only partially. Bora said, “Today, the CM himself admitted that the SIT formed by the Assam government could investigate only about 20 per cent of the alleged Pakistan link due to limitations.”

Bora further alleged that Sarma, by acknowledging the limitations, had passed responsibility to the central government. He questioned why the matter was not acted upon earlier, asking why Sarma remained silent for six months after receiving the report. Bora also asked why, if Gogoi had visited Pakistan in 2013, no action was taken even after 2014.

He asked, “If Gogoi had travelled to Pakistan in 2013, and if the matter was so serious, why did neither the Modi government nor the investigating agencies act after 2014? Did it take 12 years to realise this?” Bora concluded that no one could be labelled a Pakistani agent without proof, saying no person should be branded without “conclusive findings.”