Himanta Targets Assam MP Over Alleged Pakistan Links, Opposition Highlights PM Modi’s 2015 Uninvited Visit to Pakistan
New Delhi April 24, 2025
In what has quickly escalated into a political flashpoint, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused a Member of Parliament from the state — widely believed to be Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi — of secretly spending 15 days in Pakistan without informing the Indian government. The allegation has fueled a war of words, with the opposition firing back and questioning the BJP’s moral high ground.
But here’s the twist: wasn’t it Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself who made an unannounced visit to Pakistan in 2015?
Yes, he did. And this is where the story gets interesting.
Speaking to reporters during a campaign trail in Assam, Himanta didn’t mince words. Though he didn’t mention Gogoi by name, the target was unmistakable. Sarma claimed that a parliamentarian from Assam not only stayed in Islamabad for two weeks but also maintained ties with the Pakistan embassy.
“By September 30, people of Assam will see with evidence how the son of a proud father went against the nation,” Sarma thundered. “He stayed in Islamabad for 15 days without informing the Indian government. We believe he even learnt to read namaz there.”
The chief minister went further, hinting that praising Pakistan and performing Islamic rituals were somehow signs of betrayal — a deeply troubling conflation of religious practice and patriotism that has triggered widespread outrage.
Remember Modi’s Surprise Lahore Visit?
But here’s what’s raising eyebrows: Prime Minister Modi himself made a surprise visit to Pakistan on December 25, 2015. It wasn’t announced in Parliament, the media, or to the Indian public. In fact, the trip was reportedly planned just hours before he landed.
Modi was returning from Afghanistan when he made a spontaneous decision to drop in on then-Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif — who was celebrating his birthday and his granddaughter’s wedding at the time. The two leaders hugged at the Lahore airport, took a helicopter ride to Sharif’s residence, and shared a meal.
The meeting was framed as a diplomatic masterstroke. But if unannounced visits to Pakistan are so problematic, why was Modi’s gesture hailed as visionary while Gogoi’s alleged trip is being treated like treason?
Opposition Calls Out the Hypocrisy
This is the question that the Congress party and political analysts are now throwing back at the BJP.
“What moral right does Himanta Biswa Sarma have to question an MP’s visit when his own Prime Minister went to Pakistan without any notice?” asked a Congress spokesperson. “Are surprise visits only acceptable when they come from the BJP?”
Observers say this exposes a clear double standard — where the same action is painted either as statesmanship or sedition, depending on who’s in the spotlight.
Communal Overtones or Political Strategy?
More concerning, however, is the tone of Sarma’s remarks. By drawing attention to namaz and linking it to loyalty, he risks pushing the debate into communal territory — a move critics believe is deliberate, especially with Assam’s panchayat elections around the corner.
Such tactics, they say, aim to distract voters from local governance issues and fuel polarization on religious lines.
The Real Question: Where’s the Line?
What makes someone patriotic or anti-national? Is it their religion? Their travel history? Or just the color of their party flag?
When Modi walked into Lahore, he was seen as bold. Now, without any official proof yet presented, Gogoi is being painted as disloyal. The contrast couldn’t be starker — and voters are starting to notice.
Politics thrives on perception. But when the same act is judged differently depending on who does it, it’s not perception — it’s propaganda.
As the political heat intensifies, the public is left asking a simple question: If visiting Pakistan without notice is a crime, why was it diplomacy in 2015 and treason in 2025?
One thing is certain — in the age of social memory, what’s said on record never fades. And the people always remember.
Himanta Targets Assam MP Over Alleged Pakistan Links, Opposition Highlights PM Modi’s 2015 Uninvited Visit to Pakistan
