Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said he will sue Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera after the party alleged that Sarma’s wife holds passports from three countries and that the couple concealed foreign assets in his election affidavit. Sarma described the documents circulated by Congress as digitally manipulated and pointed to what he called six “anomalies” in the material presented at Khera’s press conference.
In a post on X, Sarma said the circulated images contained “multiple glaring inconsistencies, suggesting a crude and poorly executed attempt at digital manipulation.” He specifically cited a surname mismatch — the documents used “SARMA” instead of the official “SHARMA” — and discrepancies involving a UAE ID and stated nationality. “Truth will prevail. Those spreading misinformation will be held accountable. I am confident that Pawan Khera’s campaign of falsehood is nearing its end. Eventually Mr Khera will go to Jail,” Sarma wrote.
At a separate news briefing earlier, Congress’s Pawan Khera produced documents he said showed Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, Sarma’s wife, held passports from the United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, and Egypt. Khera gave specific dates for the travel documents: the UAE passport allegedly issued on March 14, 2022, expiring March 13, 2027; an Antigua and Barbuda passport issued August 26, 2021, expiring August 25, 2031; and an Egyptian passport issued February 13, 2022, expiring February 12, 2029. He also alleged the couple owned two properties in Dubai and a company registered in Wyoming that were not disclosed in Sarma’s election-time affidavit, and asked the Election Commission to cancel Sarma’s nomination for concealment.
Khera framed the allegations as part of a wider critique of Sarma’s record, saying the chief minister has faced past accusations including land grabbing, misappropriation of temple donations and siphoning of government subsidies. “Himanta Biswa Sarma’s entire politics is predicated on hatred against Muslims; yet, his wife holds passports from two Muslim countries?” Khera asked, adding: “Are they making preparations to flee the country in the event of an electoral defeat?”
The exchange intensified reactions on social media and among political allies. Assam BJP MLA Pijush Hazarika mocked the documentation shown by Congress as “shoddy” and accused the party’s IT cell of amateurish Photoshop, sharing images that he said exposed the alleged forgeries. Sarma earlier described Khera’s press conference as reflecting “deep frustration and panic within the Congress party” and rejected all the allegations as “malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies aimed at misleading the people of Assam.”
The dispute comes amid a politically charged period in the state: Sarma urged supporters to treat the material as part of what he called an opposition smear campaign as Assam “moves decisively towards a historic mandate.” With both sides trading claims and counterclaims — Congress presenting documents it says support its demands to the Election Commission, and the chief minister promising legal recourse and alleging fabrication — the matter is likely to escalate into formal complaints and fact-checking inquiries in the coming days.