GUWAHATI : In a sharp response to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent remarks, Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, said, “CM Himanta Biswa Sarma calls himself a ‘King,’ but we are servants of the people. He wants to silence voices; we want people to speak freely. He wants people to fear; we want them to live without fear.”

The statement comes amid an escalating political war of words in Assam, with the Congress leader accusing the Chief Minister of fostering an atmosphere of fear and intolerance towards dissent. Gogoi emphasised that true leadership lies in serving people, not ruling over them.

Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi on November 1 accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of being “unfit” to lead the state, a day after the BJP leader alleged that Gogoi was a “Pakistani agent planted by a foreign power”.

Responding to Sarma’s comments, Gogoi said the remarks exposed the chief minister’s “growing fear of losing power”. He also questioned the timing of the accusations, pointing out that they came on the same day the late singer Zubeen Garg’s final film Roi Roi Binale was released.

“Yesterday, when the entire state was watching Zubeen Garg perform for the last time, the chief minister’s comments showed his growing fear of losing power,” Gogoi posted on X, adding that “Himanta Biswa Sarma dangoriya has lost credibility.”

Sarma has repeatedly claimed that Gogoi has links with Pakistan through his British wife, insisting he possesses evidence to support the charge. The chief minister reiterated the allegations on Friday, calling the Congress MP a “Pakistani agent” and asserting that he was “planted by a foreign power”.

Gogoi, who is also the Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, dismissed the accusations as baseless and politically motivated, saying they reveal the chief minister’s desperation.