Guwahati: The political sparring between the Congress and the BJP intensified ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, with Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi launching a fresh attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma following allegations raised by the party leadership.
Gogoi described the Chief Minister as “an embarrassment for Assam and India” and sought answers over allegations relating to undisclosed foreign assets and obtaining of passports of three different countries by the Chief Minister’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. “Serious allegations have come out. He will have to answer these questions and pay for his crime,” he said, calling for a thorough investigation.
The remarks followed a press conference by Congress leader Pawan Khera in the national capital, where he outlined a series of allegations against the Chief Minister’s family.
Khera claimed that Sarma’s wife holds three passports issued by the UAE, Egypt and Antigua and Barbuda, raising questions about compliance with Indian law. He also alleged that she owns two properties in Dubai that were not disclosed in the Chief Minister’s election affidavit.
Further, Khera accused Sarma of pursuing divisive politics, alleging that while his political narrative targets certain communities, the circumstances surrounding his family’s alleged foreign links warranted scrutiny.
Rejecting the allegations, Sarma dismissed them as “malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies,” and accused the Congress of spreading misinformation out of “frustration and panic” ahead of the polls.
“Such desperate and baseless attacks only expose their sinking ground. I categorically reject every allegation,” he said, asserting that neither he nor his wife had engaged in any wrongdoing.
The Chief Minister also announced that both he and his wife would initiate criminal and civil defamation proceedings against Khera within 48 hours. “He will be held fully accountable for his reckless and defamatory statements. I have complete faith in the judiciary,” he added.
Projecting confidence ahead of the elections, Sarma said the BJP was focused on securing a decisive mandate and maintained that voters would not be influenced by what he termed “propaganda.”
The exchange marks the latest escalation in the war of words between the Congress and the BJP as campaigning enters its final phase. Assam is scheduled to vote on April 9, with counting to be held on May 4.