Nagaon (Assam), April 6 Hours after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma denied Congress allegations regarding his wife allegedly holding multiple passports and properties abroad, Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday challenged the BJP leader to deny the claims under oath, using the Bhagavad Gita as a reference.
Responding to Gogoi's allegations, the CM's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma said that neither she, her children, nor her husband owns any business in any foreign country.
A day after Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Gogoi sought to know whether Sarma's wife has three foreign passports, owns property in Dubai, has companies in the US, or has placed assets in shell companies, the CM on Monday morning claimed the opposition party had fabricated the charges using false information from a Pakistani social media group.
Speaking to reporters after an election rally in Raha, the Assam Congress president questioned Sarma and asked whether he was hiding assets and business interests abroad while spreading "falsehoods" about political rivals.
"I said this yesterday, and I am repeating it now. I can say under an oath on the Bhagavad Gita that I don't have any property in London as alleged by Sarma. Can he do that? I challenge him to come to a common place and to do the same under an oath on the Bhagavad Gita," Gogoi said.
He asserted that if such properties were not declared in the election affidavit, Sarma cannot accept their existence now, as it would lead to the cancellation of his candidature.
"The questions are simple -- does your wife possess a Golden Visa for Dubai? Do you or any family member own property there? Is the Golden visa on an Indian passport? Does any family member of Himanta Biswa Sarma operate a business in a foreign country?" the Congress leader said.
"Has Himanta Biswa Sarma disclosed his or his family's wealth and properties abroad in his election affidavit? Sarma should welcome an investigation if he has nothing to hide," Gogoi said.
He asserted that if the Congress comes to power in Assam, it would pursue investigations into Sarma's alleged undisclosed foreign holdings and business operations.
"Legal action will be taken against all illegal properties, businesses and networks linked to him," the Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha said.
In a post on X, Riniki Bhuyan denied all the claims on having foreign assets, but did not clarify on the three passports.
"I'll save you the suspense and answer these laughable questions myself, @GauravGogoiAsm. Here it is: Neither I, nor my children, nor my husband have any business interests or assets in Dubai or anywhere outside India," she added.
Riniki Bhuyan Sharma then asked Gogoi about his wife's alleged bank accounts in Pakistan and sought clarification.
"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?
"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'," she added.
In another post, Gogoi said that he is reading about the 'Golden visa' of Dubai.
"It is a long-term residence visa which enables investors to live in the United Arab Emirates," he added.
To this, Riniki Bhuyan said she is reading about tourism in Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi.
"It seems to genuinely appeal to some couples," she added.
For the last one year, the Assam CM and the BJP have been attacking Lok Sabha MP Gogoi and his British wife Elizabeth Colburn, alleging connections with Pakistan's spy agency ISI.
At a press conference in Guwahati in the morning, Sarma said these charges have been made to influence the poll results, which is "punishable under the law".
He also alleged that the documents the Congress used to make the allegations against his wife were sourced from a social media group "Pakistanis in Ajman", and her photo was morphed on a lost passport of a person from that country.
The CM said his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma has filed a police complaint against Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera against the allegations.
Khera on Sunday alleged that Sarma's wife has three passports of the UAE, Egypt and Antigua-Barbuda, two properties in Dubai and assets in shell companies in the US.