Congress president Gaurav Gogoi has strongly criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for calling him a “Pakistani agent planted by foreign powers,” saying that such remarks prove Sarma is “unfit” to lead the state.

Gogoi’s remarks came a day after Sarma reiterated his allegations, claiming Gogoi’s alleged Pakistani links through his British wife and asserting that he had evidence to back the claim. The chief minister has made similar statements several times in recent months.

In a post on X, Gogoi said Sarma’s comments came at a time when the people of Assam were mourning the loss of cultural icon Zubeen Garg and celebrating the release of his final film Roi Roi Binale on Friday.

“Over the past few months, Himanta Biswa Sarma has lost credibility. Yesterday, when the entire state was watching Zubeen Garg perform for the last time in Roi Roi Binale, his comments showed his growing fear of losing power,” Gogoi wrote.

Zubeen Garg, one of Assam’s most popular singer-composer-actors, died while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19, leading to a CID probe into the circumstances of his death. His last film witnessed packed audiences across Assam and several cities nationwide on Friday.