New Delhi: Congress on Sunday claimed that Assam 'Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife has passports from three different countries and businesses and assets in UAE and the United States which were not reflected in his election affidavit.
It sought a probe into the allegations while asking the government to ascertain whether Sarma's wife Riniki also holds an Indian passport and her nationality. It also asked the Election Commission to look into the omissions in the affidavit of Sarma, who is contesting Assembly polls from Jalukbari.
The party demanded Sarma's arrest and disqualification from the elections.
Himanta Biswa Sarma 'most corrupt CM' in India; Modi, Shah, Sarma running 'land ATM' in Assam: Rahul GandhiCongress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera told a press conference that they have received documents from "friends" from abroad, which were corroborated by the party. He claimed Riniki has passports from UAE, Egypt and Antigua and Barbuda, which are "not expired but live".
Sarma hit back at the Congress claiming that "desperate and baseless" attacks only expose its "sinking" ground. "These are malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies aimed at misleading the people of Assam," he said.
Warning that he and his wife will file both criminal and civil defamation cases against Khera in the next 48 hours, he said, "documents being circulated show multiple glaring inconsistencies, suggesting a crude and poorly executed attempt at digital manipulation."
Riniki said she expected Khera to exercise basic due diligence, rather than "circulate poorly fabricated images of imaginary passports and documents". She said she will be letting the law take over, as criminal charges are being initiated.
With the Assembly election campaign peaking in Assam, Khera claimed that the UAE passport's expiry is in March 2027 while that of the Egyptian passport is in February 2028 and Antigua and Barbuda's in August 2031.
"We want to know from the Chief Minister, whose politics revolve around hatred for Muslims, whether his wife has passports from three countries, including two from Muslim countries. India does not allow dual citizenship. Does she have an Indian passport? Is she an Indian citizen?" he said.
"Are you a criminal that you need three passports?...They are preparing to leave India if they lose the elections…This is the level of corruption he seemed to have indulged," he alleged.
Khera asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah whether he was aware of this and whether he set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Claiming that a company in Riniki's name owns two properties in Dubai, he said there are people who have assets abroad but the question was why Sarma did not reflect it in his election affidavit, which is mandatory as per law.
In the state of Wyoming in the US, he alleged that there is a company operated by Sarma's wife which had a budget of USD 346.78 crore declared in May last year. The company also planned to be in hotel business, he claimed.
"We want to know why you have kept so much money in Wyoming…No leader would do this. Only those like Dawood Ibrahim, Neerav Modi, Mehul Choksi will do," Khera asked.