Escalating the political confrontation in Assam ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections, State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi on Monday launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging irregularities linked to his family’s assets and overseas business interests.
Responding to recent remarks by the Chief Minister, Gogoi said the Congress would expose what he described as “falsehoods” surrounding Sarma’s family wealth. He posed a series of pointed questions, asking whether members of the Chief Minister’s family hold a “Gold Card” in Dubai, own property in the emirate, and whether such assets were disclosed in official election affidavits.
Gogoi asserted that any failure to declare such holdings, if proven, could attract disqualification under election laws. He also called for an investigation by central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), into the alleged financial links.
“If voted to power, our party will initiate legal action against what we term illegal properties and businesses associated with the Chief Minister’s family,” Gogoi said, further alleging links to activities such as cow smuggling and the coal mafia, though no supporting evidence was placed in the public domain.
Riniki Bhuyan Sharma responds
Chief Minister Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, on Monday rejected the allegations of holding foreign assets, asserting that neither she, her children, nor her husband have any business interests or properties outside India.
In a sharp counter, she asked Gogoi whether his wife has or has ever had a bank account in Pakistan, and whether he would make such details public. She also accused him of inconsistency, noting that within 24 hours he had shifted from referring to a “Golden visa on an Egyptian passport” to an “Indian passport”.
“I’ll save you the suspense and answer these laughable questions myself, @GauravGogoiAsm. Here it is: Neither I, nor my children, nor my husband have any business interests or assets in Dubai or anywhere outside India. Now your turn. Can you disclose whether your wife has or has…” she tweeted.
The BJP has dismissed Gogoi’s claims as baseless, calling the documents cited by opposition leaders “fake” and alleging a political attempt to defame the Chief Minister ahead of the elections.
Also read: Cong used tea tribes as vote bank, harvested every 5 years: Nadda
Political row intensifies ahead of polls
The exchange marks the latest escalation in the ongoing political tussle between the BJP and the Congress in Assam, with both sides intensifying accusations of financial impropriety and legal violations. Gogoi has urged a probe into alleged foreign links, while the BJP has sought to frame the allegations as politically motivated.
Tea Tribes in Assam, a significant voter bloc in eastern constituencies, have also been drawn into the narrative, with Union Minister J P Nadda earlier accusing Congress of treating the community as a “vote-bank” harvested every five years while sheltering infiltrators, pledging BJP would protect land and welfare.
As the Assembly elections approach, the political discourse in Assam appears increasingly centred on allegations of financial misconduct, transparency in asset declarations, and voter protection, setting the stage for a high-stakes contest in the northeastern state.
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