"Examine your surname first": Debabrata Saikia slams Pabitra Margherita over remarks on Gaurav Gogoi’s Ahom roots

Senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia criticized Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita for questioning whether Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi is “truly Ahom.”

The controversy erupted after Margherita reportedly cast doubts on Gogoi’s Ahom lineage in the backdrop of the Pakistan visit row and questions surrounding the citizenship of his children. 

Terming the remarks unwarranted, Saikia accused the BJP leader of resorting to identity politics and attempting to divert attention from substantive issues by targeting Gogoi’s ancestry.

In a strongly worded statement, Saikia said that before questioning others about their heritage, Margherita should examine the origins of his own surname. “However, before questioning others, it would be appropriate for him to first examine the history of his own surname,” Saikia remarked.

The Congress leader further argued that “Margherita” is not an indigenous Assamese surname and has its roots in Italy. He pointed out that Margherita of Savoy was a queen of Italy, and said it was ironic that someone bearing a surname associated with an Italian monarch was questioning the ethnic identity of an Assamese leader.

Saikia went on to add that Italy has historical associations with controversial rulers such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, and described it as “surprising” that a person with such a surname connection would seek to “certify someone else’s Ahom identity.”


Addressing the media on March 2, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita launched a sharp attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, alleging that he was “not a true Ahom” and claiming that three members of Gogoi’s family were foreigners.


Margherita further accused the Congress leader of harbouring contempt towards Hinduism and suggested that such sentiments had prompted him to embrace another religion.


The remarks come amid intensifying political debates ahead of upcoming electoral contests in Assam. Asserting that the people of the state were fully aware of what he described as the “real background” of certain Congress leaders, the Union minister maintained that issues of identity, culture and faith could not be sidelined in public life.


He also alleged that some leaders were attempting to mislead the electorate while distancing themselves from Assam’s traditional values and civilisational roots.