Pawan Khera, in a press conference, had alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma owns three passports and the couple, along with their son, owns a business worth Rs 52,000 crore in the United States. Assam CM, however, had denied the claims, saying he would file a defamation case against the Congress leader.
Also Read: ‘Reading about the Golden visa in Dubai’: Gaurav Gogoi takes jibe at CM Himanta Biswa Sarma amid passport row
Speaking to on Sunday, Pawan Khera alleged that Himanta Biswa Sarma has concealed his wife’s properties in Dubai.
“Are they denying that they have no property in Dubai? Are they denying that they have no company in America? Are they denying that they have no shell companies anywhere in the world?… We will give much more evidence every day. A lot is coming. Why has he concealed the Dubai properties owned by his wife from his election affidavit?” the Congress leader said.
Former Chhattisgarh CM and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel also questioned the BJP’s central leadership over allegations against Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Baghel asked, “The question is whether you have property in Dubai or whether the property in the US states is yours or not. You have to answer these questions. Why is Amit Shah silent about it? PM Modi says that he will neither eat nor let others eat. Why is he silent? The question is this.”Also Read: Assam CM alleges ‘Pakistani link’ in Khera-Gogoi pressers, says “11 Pakistan talk shows backed Congress win narrative”
Earlier on Sunday, Khera alleged, “There is a company owned by Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, in Wyoming, USA. The company’s member list includes Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and their son. The company has a budget of USD 3,467 crore, with plans to open hotels in the United States. Rs 52,000 crore from the company is to be distributed among the three family members.”
On dual citizenship allegations, Khera had claimed, “According to Indian law, you cannot hold dual citizenship. We want to know whether Riniki Bhuyan Sarma also holds an Indian passport. Is she also an Indian citizen?”
Addressing the media, CM Sarma hit back and claimed that Khera fabricated the passports. He also said that the company Congress talked about shows an error in the place of birth, spelling, and other details.
The Chief Minister said, “Today, Pawan Khera held a press conference in which he showed three passports from three different countries and said they belonged to my wife. He also said that there is a company in my son’s name. They went upto Rs 52,000 crores, which is not even the budget of Assam. If a CM earns for 20 years, he still will not be able to make Rs 52,000 crores. We examined it. There was an error in the place of birth, spelling, and other details.”
“Our police have reconfirmed through the Indian government’s diplomatic channels that the UAE passports are fraudulent… Pawan Khera will be charged with fabricating a fraudulent document and criminal conspiracy. I am confident that Pawan Khera will spend his last moments in an Assam jail,” he added.
The allegations come as Assam is all set to go into single-phase Assembly elections on April 9, with 126 constituencies across the state. The counting of votes will take place on May 4.
Congress’ attack follows CM Sarma’s “Pakistani agent” allegations against state party chief Gaurav Gogoi.
