New Delhi: With only a short time left for the Assam Assembly elections, campaigning is in its final stages. Meanwhile, the ongoing war of words between the BJP and the Congress, particularly between Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, is intensifying daily. On Sunday, April 5, the Congress accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Rinki Bhuiyan Sarma, of possessing multiple passports. Pawan Khera, in a press conference, stated that Himanta’s wife holds passports from three countries: Egypt, Antigua-Barbuda, and the UAE. Sarma retorted to these allegations, saying that these are all lies. He and his wife will file a defamation suit.
Congress leader Pawan Khera held a press conference. During the press conference, he alleged that the Assam Chief Minister’s wife holds three passports. Khera also showed photos of three different passports. All three are living passports: one from Abu Dhabi, the second from Egypt, and the third from Antigua Barbuda. He said that Sarma’s politics is based on hatred against Muslims, while his wife holds passports from two Muslim countries. He further stated that Himanta’s wife also owns an American company worth ₹52,000 crore, a fact the Chief Minister has not disclosed in his election affidavit.
Minister Himanta Singh Sarma was enraged by Congress leader Pawan Khera’s allegations. He immediately posted on the social media platform X, refuting all allegations. He also stated that he would file a defamation case against these Congress leaders. Himanta stated that the documents presented by Pawan Khera contained several serious errors, including name spelling, photo, and passport details, which clearly demonstrates that they are fake and digitally manipulated.
During the press conference, CM Himanta held a press conference. He stated that he had conducted thorough research following Congress’s allegations. He found that the entire material for yesterday’s press conference was provided by a Pakistani social media group. In the past 10 days, Pakistani channels have conducted at least 11 talk shows about the Assam elections, a trend never seen before. Each talk show concluded that Congress should win. The Pakistan link to yesterday’s press conference has also become clear. He is confident that law enforcement agencies will look into this.
He stated that generally, when you raise a specific issue publicly with fake documents, sections 420 and 468 of the IPC apply. Of course, the new BNS includes a correspondence provision. When you use these allegations, along with fake documents, to influence the outcome of an election, the punishment is more severe, with up to life imprisonment. Yesterday my wife lodged an FIR and I am sure that the police will register the case under the correct section of the law and take necessary action.
Long before the election announcement, CM Himanta had called Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi a Pakistani agent. During a press conference, he stated that Gaurav’s wife, Elizabeth, collected information related to India and reported it to Pakistani citizen Ali Sheikh. Elizabeth was paid a salary by Pakistan. Congress’s recent allegations are being seen as a retaliation for the CM’s earlier allegations.
However, just days before the election, such accusations are intensifying. CM Himanta also said that the Congress party knows it is losing this election as well. This is why such allegations are being made.
