The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday claimed that the wife of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has links with Pakistan and its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia alleged that Elizabeth Colburn had links with Tauqir Sheikh who happens to be the advisor in the Pakistan Planning Commission and with the ISI.

"Very disturbing and serious facts have come to light that the Deputy Leader of Opposition, Gaurav Gogoi and his wife have links with Pakistan and the ISI. I am saying this with some responsibility that Gaurav Gogoi's wife Elizabeth Colburn, has links with Tauqir Sheikh who happens to be the advisor in the Pakistan Planning Commission. This is a serious issue which poses a threat to the national security of the country therefore, we wish to ask Mr. Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge that Gaurav Gogoi needs to come out and give clear details of Elizabeth's association with ISI and Pakistan...Why is Elizabeth Colburn working with Pakistani ISI agents?" Bhatia told news agency ANI.

"Are they working in furtherance of the statement made by Mr Rahul Gandhi that the fight of Rahul Gandhi and Congress is with the Indian state? Will the Congress start supporting ISI and Pakistan to make their political ends meet? Does this not jeopardize the national security of the country if Mr Gaurav Gogoi continues on the important post of Deputy Leader of the opposition, especially when he has access to very sensitive information pertaining to national security... Why is it that the Congress party always turns out to be the best friend of Pakistan and ISI when it comes to Conspiring against India," he added.

Who Is Elizabeth Colburn?

Colburn met the Congress leader in 2010 while doing an internship together at the Sanctions Committee of the United Nations Secretariat, reported The Week. The couple married in 2013 and has two children.

Notably, from March 2011 to January 2015, Colburn worked with the Climate Development and Knowledge Network (CDKN) in Pakistan. As part of her job, she was involved in the coordination of country programmes in India and Nepal. Colburn also led CDKN's knowledge management work. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics. Currently, Colburn is working for Oxford Policy Management, which deals with climate issues, reported the media house.

Gogoi's Reaction:

The Congress MP termed the allegation "baseless". The accusations are laughable and entertaining. If my wife is an ISI agent, then I am a RAW agent', he quipped.

He claimed that the BJP had carried out a similar "smear campaign" against him and his family ahead of last year's Lok Sabha polls and the people, in reply, elected him from the Jorhat parliamentary constituency.

Gogoi alleged that various land scams by the chief minister's family had been reported to BJP leaders in Delhi.

"Fearing that he might lose his chair, he is trying to divert attention by launching a smear campaign against me and my family," the Congress leader said.

"The assembly election is still a year away but it seems that the BJP is on shaky ground with people losing faith in the party due to which it has launched this attack on me," Gogoi added.