Congress Demands Cancellation of Assam CM's Candidature Over Alleged Offshore Assets

Congress Raises Concerns Over Assam CM's Affidavit

On Monday, the Congress party urged the Election Commission to revoke the candidacy of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the upcoming Assembly elections. They allege that he did not disclose his wife's purported offshore assets in his affidavit.

This complaint was lodged just a day after the opposition party questioned whether the BJP leader's family possesses properties in Dubai, operates companies in Wyoming, USA, or has funneled assets through shell corporations.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera claimed on Sunday that he possesses documents indicating that Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds passports from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Both Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife have denied these allegations.

These claims surfaced just before the state elections scheduled for Thursday, with vote counting set for May 4.

In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Congress leader Bidisha Neog, who is contesting against Sarma in Jalukbari, requested an investigation into the alleged concealment of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma’s offshore assets.

Neog asserted that Sarma's election affidavit failed to mention any offshore or foreign assets, despite clear legal obligations to do so.

According to Neog, evidence from the Dubai Land Department indicates that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma is the owner of two significant properties in Al Barsha South Fourth, Dubai.

She listed these properties in her complaint, emphasizing that the alleged failure to disclose such information violates mandatory requirements, which could lead to the rejection of Sarma's nomination.

Neog called for an immediate inquiry and the disqualification of Sarma's nomination under the Representation of the People Act.

The Congress party has also approached the Enforcement Directorate, requesting a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act concerning the undisclosed assets in Dubai and Wyoming linked to Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.

Allegations Regarding Passports

Regarding Khera's assertions about Riniki Bhuyan Sarma's passports, the chief minister claimed on Monday that the documents referenced by Congress were provided by a Pakistani social media group.

Sarma stated, "In the past ten days, a Pakistani channel has conducted numerous talk shows about the elections in Assam, which is unprecedented. Each show concludes that Congress should win. The connection to yesterday's press conference by Congress is now evident."

On Sunday, the BJP leader dismissed the allegations as "malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies," asserting that he and his wife would pursue legal action against Khera.

On Monday, Sarma revealed that his wife had filed a first information report against Khera and others, indicating that fraudulent documents presented publicly could lead to charges of cheating and forgery.

He further alleged that Congress had utilized information from a supposedly lost passport uploaded to a Pakistani social media group to implicate his wife, claiming they manipulated the images.

Sarma noted that anyone could establish a company for a mere $199, suggesting that Congress created another company under Riniki's name following the press conference.

He reiterated that Congress had used images of passports and documents sourced from a Pakistani social media group.