Who is Elizabeth Gogoi? Congress MP’s wife targeted by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma over ‘Pakistan ISI links’

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi with wife Elizabeth Gogoi(X/Gaurav Gogoi)

A political storm is brewing in the eastern state of Assam as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are engaged in war of words over the alleged “links” of Elizabeth Gogoi, the wife of Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, to Pakistan’s spy agency. The saffron party is targeting Gogoi over the allegations, while Congress has dismissed them as a “distraction”.

Both the political outfits have threatened legal action over the controversy. With Assam set to go to polls early next year, the issue has garnered much attention.

Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday said the BJP was targeting him and his wife with an eye on next year’s Assam Assembly elections. “The disinformation they are spreading now proves the weakness of the Assam BJP,” he said.

The controversy

During the previous week, Assam CM and a section of the BJP have raised questions over Elizabeth’s foreign citizenship and accused her of having ties with the ISI. They also questioned a meeting Gaurav had held with the then Pakistani High Commissioner to India in 2015.

Elizabeth Gogoi, a British citizen working in the field of climate policy, had worked in Pakistan for some time during her stint with the Climate Development and Knowledge Network (CDKN), Asia, between 2011 and 2015.

Who is Elizabeth Colebourn?

Born in the United Kingdom as Elizabeth Colebourn, she works in the field of climate policy. Elizabeth Gogoi has a Masters in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics (LSE). She married Gaurav Gogoi, Congress leader and son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, in 2013.

Elizabeth Gogoi worked for the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) between March 2011 to January 2015. According to her profile on the CDKN website, she coordinated CDKN’s programme in India and Nepal. She reportedly worked in Pakistan for some time during her stint. It is her work at CDKN that has come under the BJP’s scanner.

According to her author profile on the CDKN website, where her last article dates back to 2014, she coordinated the organisation’s work in India and Nepal. “Elizabeth joined CDKN in March 2011 with a background in climate change and development policy-making and research. This included working in the European Parliament on the negotiations of the 2009 EU Climate Change Package, and as a researcher in the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) looking at EU development cooperation. She also has experience working in the US Senate, UN Secretariat and for NGOs in Tanzania and South Africa,” the website reads.

Gaurav Gogoi dismisses allegations as “laughable"

Dismissing the allegations as “laughable", Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday said, “If my wife is an ISI agent of Pakistan, then I am an R&AW agent of India. I don't mind if a family against whom there are various cases and several allegations makes accusations against me. The Assam chief minister is making these allegations only to divert attention from the allegations against him.”