Not Gaurav Gogoi, three other NE leaders make it to Centre's 51-member delegation

Assam's Bhubaneswar Kalita and Pradan Baruah; and Nagaland’s Phangnon Konyak - both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from the Northeast made the cut as the Centre finalised a 51-member list for seven diplomatic delegations jetting off to world capitals. This move is India’s way of putting its anti-terror foot forward in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.

The list is a power-packed mix of politicians, MPs and ex-ministers across party lines. While it included many, it also excluded - notably, all four names submitted by the Congress. Among them, Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi, whose name didn’t just get dropped, it was probably not even considered. 

Is there some misunderstanding on the national front brewing?

The snub didn’t come out of nowhere. It followed a pointed appeal from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who asked Rahul Gandhi to keep Gogoi off the list altogether. “In the interest of national security and beyond partisan politics,” Sarma wrote, “I urge Leader of Opposition Sri Rahul Gandhi not to include this individual in such a sensitive and strategic assignment.”

The backdrop? An ongoing, very public war of words between the two Assam leaders - Himanta Biswa Sarma and Gaurav Gogoi. The latest chapter included Sarma’s claims that “credible documents” show Gogoi’s wife drawing a salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while living in India.

The tweets have flown, the letters exchanged, and now with the global stage set, the notable name from Assam is surprisingly absent as India readies to take its diplomatic message against terrorism worldwide.

Over time, murmurs around Gaurav Gogoi and his wife Elizabeth Colburn’s activities have steadily escalated - from whispers in the corridors to loud questions raised by the top brass of the Assam government. What began as a pointed accusation quietly snowballed into a full-blown national talking point, at least for many. For a few others, it barely moved the needle. And those few, one might guess, were seated comfortably within the Congress camp.

Because if they had been rattled, why else would Assam’s beloved chief minister feel compelled to pen a direct and public note to Rahul Gandhi? In his own words: "One of the MPs named in the list ( from Assam ) has not denied his prolonged stay in Pakistan—reportedly for two weeks—and credible documents show that his wife was drawing salary from a Pakistan-based NGO while working in India...I urge leader of opposition Sri Rahul Gandhi not to include this individual in such a sensitive and strategic assignment."

Moreover, things within the Congress party don’t appear to be sailing smoothly either. Of the four names it submitted - Anand Sharma, Gaurav Gogoi, Raja Barar, and Naseer Hussain - not one made the final cut. Instead, the Centre handpicked Shashi Tharoor.

Now, Tharoor, ever the statesman, took the assignment in stride, calling it a matter of national duty. But back in the Congress house, not everyone was clapping. General Secretary Jairam Ramesh was quick to lash out, accusing the government of “dishonesty.” The snub stung enough for Ramesh to pen a message to Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, demanding an explanation. And so, while Tharoor gears up for his diplomatic duties, the rest of the party is left staring at a rather uncomfortable silence.

Which brings us to the question echoing louder than ever: If no one’s listening to Congress - not even when it speaks for itself - then where exactly is the party headed?