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.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)
