Guwahati: Congress national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate on Monday raised questions over the reported rise in the family wealth of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that the increase over the past decade was largely driven by assets held in his spouse’s name.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Shrinate cited details from the Chief Minister’s election affidavits to argue that the growth in family wealth had been disproportionate. She contended that over the last five years, the financial gains appeared concentrated within the Chief Minister’s family, describing it as an “asset accumulation model” rather than a development model for the state.
According to her, Sarma’s declared personal assets rose from Rs 1.02 crore in 2016 to Rs 2.36 crore, while he continued to report no immovable property in his own name. In contrast, she claimed that his spouse’s assets saw a sharp increase—from Rs 1.77 crore to Rs 13.59 crore over the same period, along with a significant rise in immovable assets, which she said had grown substantially by 2026.
Shrinate questioned the basis of such growth, arguing that the expansion in family wealth appeared to be driven overwhelmingly by assets not directly linked to the Chief Minister’s declared earnings. She also raised concerns over the absence of immovable property in his personal disclosures across multiple affidavits, suggesting that the pattern warranted public explanation.
The Congress leader further accused the state government of failing to address key issues such as unemployment, alleging that economic opportunities for youth remained limited due to the lack of major industrial growth.
Referring to a recently circulated AI-generated “point-blank” video purportedly featuring the Chief Minister, which was later deleted, Shrinate said the Congress would not adopt an aggressive social media approach if it involved posting such content. She maintained that the party would instead use digital platforms to communicate what it described as factual information to the public.
Accusing the BJP of projecting an overly optimistic narrative through social media, she asserted that the ground realities were different and that voters would make their judgment accordingly in the upcoming elections.