Does Himanta Sarma's wife Riniki Sarma have multiple passports? Assam CM says ‘Khera, Gogoi’s press material from Pak…’

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday stated that his wife Riniki Sharma has filed police complaint against Congress's Pawan Khera for “false allegations” against her, and noted entire material of the press conference by Congress leaders Pawan Khera, and Gaurav Gogoi which took place yesterday, was supplied by a Pakistani social media group, as reported by ANI.

“Congress allegations against my wife aimed at influencing Assam polls, it's punishable with life imprisonment,” he added, as reported by PTI.

Yesterday, Pawan Khera and Gaurav Gogoi did two press conferences, one in Delhi, one in Guwahati...During our research, we found that the entire material of the press conference, which took place yesterday, was supplied by a Pakistani social media group. In the last 10 days, Pakistan channel has done at least 11 talk shows regarding the election in Assam, which never happened earlier. And in every talk show, the conclusion is that Congress should win. Pakistan's link to yesterday's press conference has also now become very, very apparent. I am sure that this will be taken into consideration by the law enforcement agency, Sarma added.

Earlier on Sunday, Assam CM said that authorities have confirmed the Dubai passport mentioned by Khera is “fake.”

The controversy arose after All India Congress Committee (AICC) Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera claimed that documents indicated Sarma’s wife possessed multiple active passports, raising potential legal concerns. Khera also questioned the possibility of holding multiple passports and expressed worries regarding dual citizenship provisions.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Sarma

said that both the Dubai and Indian governments have verified the passport’s inauthenticity. He rejected the allegations against his wife, pointing out that the photograph used in one of the passports does not belong to her.

“He also said that there is a company in my son's name. They went upto ₹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 ₹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 UEA 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,” Khera added, as reported by ANI.

Sarma further said, “I think Rahul Gandhi is also with him and wants him to be sent to jail soon. If I file an FIR now, it'll all turn out to be false. He'll have to go to jail. I think Rahul Gandhi, through his conspiracy, has finally closed the chapter on Pawan Khera.”

What are the allegations against Assam CM Sarma's wife?

Earlier, at a press conference in New Delhi, Pawan Khera claimed that Sarma’s wife possesses three passports—from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Antigua and Barbuda, and Egypt, with expiration dates in March 2027, August 2031, and February 2029, respectively.

When questioned about the timing of these allegations, coming just four days before the Assembly elections, the AICC spokesperson responded, “We had the information earlier, but the facts needed to be verified… as much as we can verify while being in the opposition.”

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. ₹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?"

Defamation case against Khera?

Regarding Sarma's threat to file a defamation case against Khera, the leaders stated that this is nothing new, as he has filed several defamation cases, including one against Gogoi, whenever corruption charges have been levelled against him.

"We want him to go to the court and then we will come with sacks full of documents to prove the truth. We challenge him to go to court today itself; why wait till tomorrow?" he added.

Giving a list of defamation cases filed by Sarma, the state Congress president claimed that whenever any allegation is brought against him, he files a defamation case and the people now know that this is his way of “hiding the truth”.

The allegations have surfaced as Assam prepares for single-phase Assembly elections on April 9, covering all 126 constituencies in the state, with vote counting scheduled for May 4.

The Congress’ criticism comes in the wake of CM Sarma’s own accusations, in which he labeled state party chief Gaurav Gogoi a “Pakistani agent.”

(With inputs from agencies)