Guwahati, April 6: Political tensions in Assam escalated sharply on Monday after a heated exchange between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress over allegations concerning Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife and her purported foreign assets.
The BJP strongly dismissed the allegations, describing them as “fabricated” and politically motivated. Party MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the documents cited by Congress contained “multiple glaring errors,” questioning their credibility.
“The documents released contain multiple glaring errors. The surname is wrongly written as ‘Sharma’ instead of ‘Sarma’. The photo appears sourced from the public domain. Nationality is shown as Egyptian while the passport is from Antigua and Barbuda,” Trivedi said. He added that the claims were misleading and reflected “desperation ahead of elections.”
Chief Minister Sarma also issued a sharp response, categorically rejecting the allegations and calling them “malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies aimed at misleading the people of Assam.” He highlighted “serious discrepancies” in the documents, including spelling mistakes, mismatched passport details, and invalid QR codes, terming it a “crude attempt at digital manipulation.”
Meanwhile, the BJP has warned of possible legal action against Congress leader Pawan Khera, further intensifying the political confrontation ahead of the Assembly elections.
The controversy began after Khera alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma holds multiple foreign passports, including from the UAE, Antigua and Barbuda, and Egypt. He also claimed that she owns undisclosed properties in Dubai and has links to a company in the United States.
“Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the wife of the Assam Chief Minister, holds three passports,” Khera said, questioning whether there was any concealment in election disclosures. He further raised concerns over whether such alleged arrangements suggested preparations to leave the country in case of an electoral defeat.
With elections approaching, the issue has triggered a fresh political flashpoint in Assam, with both sides escalating their rhetoric and accusations.
