Assam CM Sarma refutes Congress’ claims that his wife holds passports of 3 foreign countries

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday refuted allegations by the Congress that his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds passports of three foreign countries.

He described the allegations as “malicious, fabricated and politically motivated lies”.

He also said that he would initiate legal action against Congress leader Pawan Khera, who claimed in a press conference that he had documentary evidence showing that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma possesses passports of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda.

“These are three passports…there may be more, we do not know,” Khera alleged.

In a post on social media, the Assam chief minister claimed that the documents being shared showed “multiple glaring inconsistencies, suggesting a crude and poorly executed attempt at digital manipulation”.

He claimed that there was a mismatch in the spellings of his wife’s surname, mismatch in passport numbers and expiry dates and other such errors in the three passports shown by the Congress during the press conference.

“These inconsistencies strongly indicate possible fabrication or digital manipulation,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said. “Truth will prevail. Those spreading misinformation will be held accountable”

In a separate social media post, he added: “My wife and I will be filing both criminal and civil defamation cases within the next 48 hours.”

Khera would be “held fully accountable for his reckless and defamatory statements”, Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Riniki Bhuyan Sarma also alleged that Khera had circulated “poorly fabricated images of imaginary passports and documents”.

The allegations came ahead of the Assembly elections that will be held on Thursday. The votes will be counted on May 4.

Congress’ claims about US firms

In addition to the passport claims, Khera claimed that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma owned a firm in Wyoming, United States, named Rinikibhuyansarma Asset Collective LLC, which had allegedly approved a budget of $3.4 billion in an annual meeting in December.

The Congress leader claimed that the firm paid $5.6 billion to Riniki Bhuyan Sarma and a company, Hrinikinandi LLC, allegedly named after the chief minister’s son that is also registered in Wyoming.

The claims were based on a document shared by the Congress with reporters, which contained the minutes of the annual meeting. The document was undated, unsigned and did not contain a letterhead.

Scroll checked Wyoming’s business registry and found that there was no firm named Rinikibhuyansarma Asset Collective LLC registered there. Moreover, Hrinikinandi LLC was registered on Friday, just two days before the Congress held the press conference.