Guwahati, April 6: Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday evening pressed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to clarify whether his family owns properties or companies abroad, intensifying the political row just days before the state assembly elections.
At a press conference, the leaders posed three questions to Sarma: whether his wife or family owns property in Dubai, whether they have companies registered in Wyoming, USA, and whether assets are held in shell companies. They demanded that Sarma submit an affidavit to the Election Commission of India (ECI) disclosing these alleged holdings.
“These details are missing in the affidavit submitted to the ECI, and his nomination is a fit case for disqualification,” Gogoi said, adding that the matter warranted investigation by agencies such as the CBI, Income Tax Department, and Enforcement Directorate.
Khera alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, Sarma’s wife, holds three passports — from the UAE, Antigua-Barbuda, and Egypt — and owns two Dubai properties not listed in the CM’s affidavit. He urged the Centre to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations.
Sarma, however, dismissed the charges, describing the documents circulated by Congress as “fabricated” and a “poorly executed attempt at digital manipulation.” He pointed to inconsistencies in surnames, passport details, and spelling errors, asserting that the campaign of “falsehood” was nearing its end. “Eventually, Mr Khera will go to jail,” Sarma wrote on X.
Riniki Bhuyan Sharma also rejected the claims, saying criminal charges were being initiated against Khera.
The Congress leaders countered that Sarma’s repeated threats of defamation suits were a tactic to “hide the truth.” Gogoi said, “We want him to go to court and then we will come with sacks full of documents to prove the truth.”
Former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, present at the press conference, invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anti-corruption pledge, saying, “Now we have to see what steps are taken by him.”
