GUWAHATI: Ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a scathing attack on Congress, making a series of provocative remarks targeting its leaders.Sarma said, “I show my left thumb to the Congress. For Gaurav Gogoi, Rahul Gandhi, I show my left thumb. I will make Pawan Khera to Pawan Pera”.He also made a controversial comment directed at party spokesperson Pawan Khera, saying he would “turn Pawan Khera into Pawan Pera”.In a separate statement, the chief minister alleged that the Congress was trying to intimidate him. Responding to Rahul Gandhi, Sarma said he and his party were not afraid of any threats, adding that “we have Hanuman here” in a symbolic assertion.The remarks come amid intensifying political rhetoric in the run-up to the state elections, with both the ruling party and the opposition stepping up their attacks.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki files FIR against Pawan Khera over foreign passport claimsAmid a heated controversy over Congress’ claims regarding Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Assam Police on Monday conducted a search at Congress leader Pawan Khera’s residence in Delhi. The action comes after Riniki Bhuyan Sarma filed an FIR against Khera and others.The Crime Branch of the Guwahati Police Commissionerate registered the case based on the FIR, citing charges including forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The complaint names AICC media and publicity chairperson Pawan Khera among the accused.The dispute escalated on Sunday when Pawan Khera held press conferences in Delhi and Guwahati, alleging that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds passports from the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda, and owns undisclosed properties in Dubai. He also claimed that Himanta Biswa Sarma owns a limited liability company registered in Wyoming, USA, valued at Rs 53,000 crore.Following these allegations, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma lodged a complaint at the Crime Branch police station in Panbazar, Guwahati, around midnight on Sunday, prompting the police action at Khera’s residence.Riniki said, “All the allegations are baseless and false. Therefore, I have lodged the complaint seeking a proper investigation into the matter so that the guilty are punished. The passports with my name they showed during the press conference are completely AI generated and completely photoshopped. It is a clear violation of personal rights.”She further alleged that Congress does not have any agenda to fight this election. “They (Congress) do not have any agenda against Himanta Biswa Sarma also. For all these reasons, they have made me a soft target,” she added.Earlier on Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma vowed to take strong action against Congress leader Pawan Khera over his allegations and asserted that his party would win at least 100 seats in the upcoming Assam assembly elections.“I will take stringest action against Congress leader Pawan Khera, just wait for some days. We will win at least 100 seats in the elections,” Sarma added.Sarma also hit back at the allegations levelled by the Indian National Congress, claiming that property documents used to link his family to apartments in Dubai were stolen from the document-sharing platform Scribd.Meanwhile, Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, responded to a post by Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on the same issue.Gogoi had written on X, “Reading about the Golden visa in Dubai. It is a long-term residence visa which enables investors to live in the United Arab Emirates.”Replying to this, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma said, “Reading about tourism in Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi. It seems to genuinely appeal to some couples.”She also rejected allegations that she or her family hold assets or business interests abroad.“I’ll save you the suspense and answer these laughable questions myself. 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 ever had a bank account in Pakistan? And will you make those details public?” she said in another post.She further questioned Gogoi’s claims, saying, “Also interesting how, within 24 hours, you’ve already climbed down from your claim of a ‘golden visa on an Egyptian passport’ to now talking about an ‘Indian passport’.”(With agency inputs)
