Ripun Bora questioned over Gaurav's ‘Pak links'
1
2
Guwahati: Senior Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora was interrogated by the Assam police for about four hours on Thursday in connection with a case related to party colleague and newly appointed state president Gaurav Gogoi's alleged links with Pakistan.
After the interrogation, Bora told the media that he was questioned by the police regarding his statement during a press conference on Sunday, where he 'defended' Gaurav over the Pakistan-link allegation against him. "The investigating officer asked me why I defended Gaurav over the allegation of visiting Pakistan. They sought what information I have regarding that. I cooperated with the investigating officer and answered all the queries," he said, while refusing to comment further on the interrogation.
Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell SP Rosie Kalita told the media that Bora informed the investigating officer he needed to say a few things in his press conference on Sunday for damage control of the party.
"He said he had to give a political statement in his press conference regarding the SIT's credibility. He said he should not have spoken in that way. He said he appeared before the SIT, accepting the credibility of the SIT.
He cooperated, but he could not give the information we sought," she added.
The SP said Bora was allowed to go after he told the SIT he has a meeting in Delhi. "He has been given time to submit the information. He will be summoned again soon," she added.
MP Gaurav Gogoi was appointed as the president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee on Monday. He succeeded Bhupen Kumar Borah. After receiving a summons notice to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Wednesday, Bora, in a post on his X handle, wrote: "I am shocked and surprised to receive a notice from the CID because I countered the false allegations of CM
Himanta Biswa Sarma
regarding Gaurav Gogoi's Pakistan links. This is an attempt to harass me, intimidate me, and suppress my voice!"
On Sunday, Bora, in a press conference, claimed that Sarma was trying to portray Gogoi as an ISI agent only because the BJP leader knows that the present govt will decisively lose the assembly elections next year if Gaurav is made the CM candidate of the opposition party.
"Gaurav's wife might have visited Pakistan or got a salary for her work from Pakistan, what's the problem in that? Likewise, many Pakistani people are working in India legally," he said.
Following this, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Bora made a "startling confession" that his party MP Gogoi's wife was on the "payroll of the Pakistan govt". Earlier, Sarma alleged that Gaurav visited Pakistan on the invitation of ISI, underwent training there, and worked closely with the establishment of the neighbouring nation.
Hitting back hard, Gogoi slammed Sarma over his accusation of the MP having alleged Pakistani links and questioned his mental state.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
Haryana's Palwal assembly constituency receives major development push as chief minister Nayab Saini announces new projects
Chandigarh: Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday announced a sweeping infrastructure push for the Palwal assembly segment, unveiling a raft of development projects estimated to be worth more than ₹1,270 crore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking at a large public gathering in Palwal, Saini said the region was poised to enter a "new era" of growth, with planned investments in sports infrastructure, roads, education, and civic amenities. At the centre of the announcement is a proposed international-level sports complex, alongside the modernisation of the existing indoor stadium with ₹55 lakh allocated for soundproofing upgrades. Saini also earmarked ₹50 crore for urban infrastructure in Sector 21 and Transport Nagar, including parking, sewerage, water supply and stormwater drainage. Additional funds include ₹37.5 crore for repairing eight roads spanning 37.5 km and ₹40.1 crore to renovate 26 roads totalling 54.5 km. Roads under warranty currently — 75 in total, covering 152 km — will also be repaired, he said. The CM further pledged ₹5 crore for building community centres in rural areas and announced the paving of unpaved streets in residential zones between Wards 1 and 10. A new grain market outside Palwal city is also on the cards, subject to land availability. Positioning the initiative as part of a broader national effort, Saini praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership during the past 11 years, saying the BJP govt had fostered rapid development rooted in Indian heritage and aspirations for global leadership. Taking aim at the opposition, he criticised the Congress for what he called a "decade of neglect" prior to 2014. "Back then, schemes were announced but benefits never reached the people," Saini said. "Since 2014, we've doubled the pace. In Palwal alone, we've delivered ₹1,270 crore worth of development projects over the past decade." MSID:: 121679454 413 |
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
Vyapam to police constable recruitment, it's endless series of scams: Patwari
Bhopal: Congress state unit president Jitu Patwari on Friday came down heavily on the BJP govt for the recently exposed police constable recruitment "scam". "MPPSC (Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission) has now become a corruption recruitment department," Patwari said. "Fake candidates were made to sit in the constable recruitment exam through solver gangs. So far, 16 FIRs have been registered, but no concrete action seems to have been taken. Earlier, the same pattern has been seen in the Patwari recruitment, primary teacher recruitment, and many other recruitment examinations," he said. He argued that lakhs of youth in the state dream of govt jobs and toil night and day for it. "But this govt is busy digging the grave of their dreams. I want to ask the govt - why are the children and youth being strangled? Will the hard work of the youth now be sacrificed to conspiracies?" Patwari asked. "From Vyapam to constable recruitment, it is an endless series of corruption. Till when will the MP govt put the future of the youth at stake?" he asked. Recalling the Vyapam recruitment scam, the Congress chief said, "Not only did a scam take place, but justice was murdered. More than 50 deaths took place, including students, journalists and officials associated with the scam. Even today, not a single accused has been punished. All have been acquitted. What kind of justice is this? Is this the Ram Rajya that the BJP talks about?" Patwari said the Congress would raise these questions on public forums. "This is not the time to sit quietly. We will ask questions and demand answers from the govt and society. When the daughters of the country are unsafe, when the future of the youth is in the dark, when the recruitment system is in the hands of mafias, then it is the responsibility of the opposition to raise its voice and get justice for the people." Besides, Patwari asked who is taking the salaries of the 50,000 missing govt employees over the past two decades. He claimed that 50,000 govt employees did not withdraw their salaries amounting to Rs 250 crore this year. "Fifty thousand employees of the state govt have gone missing. More than Rs 250 crore in salary is not being withdrawn by these employees. The govt has appointed a commission for this and asked to find the missing employees," Patwari said. "The state has 4.5 lakh employees, and the govt is trying to track 50,000 of them. This is a huge financial and administrative chaos. Now there is no one to take the salary, so in the last 22 to 25 years, who was taking this money of Rs 500 crore per year? It is an amount as big as Rs 12,500 crore that has been taken, but by whom." He said the state govt was continuously taking loans. "We have again taken a loan of Rs 450 crore. The people of the state need to awaken; they (BJP govt) have made govt employees disappear and have been taking their salaries for years. The BJP govt has made unique scams in the state – a Chambal scam, a snake bite scam, there are 42 different scams that have hit the state under BJP rule. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP sought caste census during UPA rule: OBC Morcha chief
Bhopal: The BJP on Friday mounted its attack on the Congress for taking credit for the Centre's decision to carry out a caste census, saying the main opposition party intends to "mislead people for vote politics". "The decision taken for the caste census is a historic step. The Congress is today spreading the propaganda that the Modi govt took the decision of caste census under the pressure of Rahul Gandhi," BJP OBC Morcha national president K Laxman said here on Friday. "I want to ask Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders that for decades they were in power in the country and three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family were prime ministers. Why did Rahul Gandhi not demand a caste census at that time? Today, when he is in the opposition, he is talking about caste census to mislead people for vote bank politics," he said at a massive workshop of the party's OBC Morcha. Laxman said during the Manmohan Singh govt, BJP demanded a caste census. The workshop was also addressed by BJP state president VD Sharma, state BJP organisational general secretary Hitanand Sharma, state BJP backward classes front chief Narayan Singh Kushwaha, and cabinet minister Krishna Gaur. Laxman said caste census has been taking place in the country since the British era, but after the independence of the country, the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru stopped the practice of caste census through the Central Census Act. "Pt Nehru shelved the report of the Kaka Kalelkar Committee. OBC Commission was not formed. Later, the govt of Morarji Desai constituted the Mandal Commission. The govt of Indira Gandhi also maintained silence on it, and the govt of VP Singh implemented it," Laxman recalled. He said in 1961, Pt Nehru wrote a letter to the chief ministers of the states and said that reservation should be done on an economic basis. Laxman claimed that the BJP never backed down from the matter of caste census. "When the Modi govt was formed in 2014, the then Union home minister Rajnath Singh said that we will do the census by adding castes, but due to the Covid crisis, it could not be possible," he said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
