If visiting Pak not a crime, then what is? Himanta Sarma on charge at Gaurav Gogoi

Speaking at Panchayat Aaj Tak Assam, BJP leader and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted that if he was wrong, the opponent would have the option to take him to the court.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took a swipe at Congress's Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday, saying that all his allegations against the latter were based on "facts". The CM made the remarks while speaking at the Panchayat Aaj Tak Assam in Guwahati. "We have not done anything forcibly. Whatever we have presented is 100 percent based on facts. If we were wrong anywhere, wouldn't they have filed a defamation case against us?"

Sarma has been at loggerheads with Assam Congress chief Gogoi since earlier this year. The BJP leader had termed Gogoi a Pakistani agent, citing his 2013 visit to the neighbouring nation. He had flagged alleged visa permission discrepancies and questioned how the Congress leader visited Takshashila, which is not in Islamabad but in Rawalpindi, for which he didn't have approval. He had stressed at the time that Rawalpindi housed the Pakistan Army General headquarters.

Meanwhile, Gogoi had accused the Assam CM and his family members of possessing nearly 12,000 bighas of land across the northeastern state. He hit back at the Congress leader with a Rs 500-crore defamation suit and later a Guwahati court directed Gogoi and other Congress leaders to refrain from making such statements.

After Sarma's 'Pak agent' charge, Gogoi countered with a "super flop political drama" response.

Himanta Sarma, however, has remained firm on his stance, emphasising that if he was wrong, the opponent would have the option to take him to court. When asked if visiting Pakistan was a crime, the Assam CM answered in positive.

"For me, it is a very serious matter. If going to Pakistan is not wrong, then what is? India has fought three wars with Pakistan and our soldiers have sacrificed their lives. Ignoring the sacrifice of those soldiers raises questions. If someone travels without a visa, even to the district where the Pakistan Army’s headquarters is located, questions will certainly be raised," Sarma told Aaj Tak.