Assam CM Sarma Denies Congress Claims of His Wife's Foreign Passports

Allegations and Denials Surrounding Assam Elections

On Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, refuted allegations made by the Congress party regarding his wife allegedly possessing passports from three different countries. Sarma claimed that the documents referenced by Congress were provided by a social media group based in Pakistan.

Sarma stated, “In the past ten days, a Pakistani channel has hosted numerous discussions about the Assam elections, which is unprecedented. Each discussion seems to conclude that Congress should emerge victorious. The connection to the Congress's recent press conference is now evident.”

Congress leader Pawan Khera had previously asserted that he possessed documents indicating that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the chief minister's wife, holds passports from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda.

In response, Sarma labeled these claims as “malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies,” and announced intentions to pursue legal action against Khera.

These allegations surfaced just days before the Assembly elections scheduled for Thursday, with vote counting set for May 4.

On Monday, Sarma revealed that his wife had filed a first information report regarding the matter.

He emphasized that when fraudulent documents are presented to the public, legal action can be initiated for cheating and forgery.

“Using such allegations with falsified documents to sway election outcomes can lead to severe penalties, including life imprisonment,” he warned.

Sarma accused Congress of utilizing details from a purportedly lost passport that had been shared on a Pakistani social media platform to frame his wife, alleging that the documents had been digitally altered.

He further claimed that the Congress party had created a company in his wife's name following the press conference, suggesting that they had manipulated images of passports and documents obtained from a Pakistani social media group.

“Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress chief in Assam, was assisted by a Pakistani social media group,” Sarma alleged, highlighting concerns about foreign influence in the Assam elections.

In a social media update, Sarma pointed out that the documents presented by Congress contained numerous inconsistencies, indicating a poorly executed attempt at digital manipulation.

He noted discrepancies in the spelling of his wife's surname, passport numbers, and expiry dates among the documents shown during the press conference.

Sarma asserted that these inconsistencies strongly suggested possible fabrication or digital manipulation.

He also mentioned that he and his wife would initiate both criminal and civil defamation lawsuits within the next 48 hours.

Khera responded by stating that Congress would provide additional evidence to substantiate its claims against the chief minister's wife.