Guwahati, April 6: The political confrontation between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress President Gaurav Gogoi intensified on Monday, taking a sharp personal turn as their families were drawn directly into the exchange of allegations.
The escalation comes just days before polling in Assam, with both sides trading charges over alleged foreign links, assets, and documents.
The latest flashpoint was triggered when Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of the Chief Minister, publicly challenged Gogoi to clarify whether his wife has or ever had a bank account in Pakistan. “I’ll save you the suspense and answer these laughable questions myself,” she wrote on X, denying any business interests or assets abroad for herself or her family.
Her remarks followed Gogoi’s earlier questions, in which he asked whether Sarma’s wife holds a Dubai Golden Visa, whether it is linked to an Indian passport, and whether the family has business interests or properties abroad. Gogoi urged the Chief Minister to welcome an investigation if there was nothing to hide.
Sarma, meanwhile, accused the Congress of circulating “fabricated documents” and misusing artificial intelligence to target his family ahead of the elections. He rejected claims made by Congress leader Pawan Khera that his wife holds multiple foreign passports and undisclosed overseas assets, including properties in Dubai.
“The so-called passports attributed to my wife are completely fake. There are spelling errors, incorrect formats, and even technical flaws such as non-functional QR codes,” Sarma said. He also dismissed allegations of foreign citizenship, noting that Dubai does not grant citizenship in the manner claimed.
In a demonstration, Sarma said his team created companies online in his wife’s name within 24 hours to show how easily fake entities can be generated, adding that a similar entity was created in Gogoi’s name to underline the point. Calling it a “criminal conspiracy,” he warned that those involved could face serious legal consequences.
Sarma alleged that Congress was attempting to mislead voters ahead of the polls, but insisted that people would ultimately vote based on development and employment.
