Congress asks EC to cancel Assam CM’s poll candidature for ‘hiding’ wife’s alleged offshore assets

The Congress on Monday asked the Election Commission to cancel the candidature of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the Assembly polls, claiming that he had failed to disclose his wife’s alleged offshore assets in his affidavit, The New Indian Express reported.

The Congress’s complaint to the poll panel came a day after the Opposition party raised questions about whether the Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s family owns property in Dubai, holds companies in Wyoming, United States or has routed assets through shell firms.

Congress leader Pawan Khera had claimed on Sunday that he had documentary evidence showing that the chief minister’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds passports of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife have rejected the allegations.

The allegations came ahead of the polling in the state on Thursday. The votes will be counted on May 4.

In a representation to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday, Congress leader Bidisha Neog, who is contesting against Himanta Biswa Sarma from Jalukbari, sought an investigation into the alleged concealment of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma’s alleged offshore assets.

Neog alleged that the chief minister’s election affidavit did not disclose any offshore or foreign assets despite explicit statutory requirements.

“Documentary evidence from the Dubai Land Department establishes that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the spouse of the candidate, is the owner/beneficial holder of two valuable properties in Al Barsha South Fourth, Dubai, UAE,” The New Indian Express quoted Neog as having alleged in her complaint.

The Congress leader listed two properties allegedly owned by Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, adding that the alleged “deliberate non-disclosure” violated mandatory requirements. It renders his nomination liable to rejection, she added.

Neog sought an immediate inquiry into the matter and the rejection of Himanta Biswa Sarma’s nomination under the Representation of the People Act.

The Congress also filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate, seeking a Prevention of Money Laundering Act case for allegedly operating undisclosed assets in Dubai and Wyoming by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, The New Indian Express reported.

Claim about the passports

On Khera’s claims on Sunday about Riniki Bhuyan Sarma’s passports, the chief minister on Monday alleged that the documents cited by the Congress had been supplied by a Pakistani social media group.

“In the last 10 days, a Pakistani channel has done at least 11 talk shows regarding the election in Assam, which has never happened before,” Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed. “In every talk show the final conclusion is that the Congress should win. Now the Pakistani link to yesterday’s press conference [by the Congress] has also become very apparent.”

The BJP leader had also refuted the allegations on Sunday, describing them as “malicious, fabricated and politically motivated lies”. The chief minister and his wife said that they would initiate legal action against Khera.

On Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his wife had filed a first information report against Khera and others. He added that when a matter is raised before the public with “fraudulent documents”, a case against the person can be filed for cheating and forgery.

The chief minister also claimed that the Congress had used details from an allegedly lost passport that had been uploaded to a Pakistani social media group to frame his wife. “They photoshopped it,” he alleged at a press conference.

The BJP leader added that anyone can register a company by paying $199. “After yesterday’s press conference, they created another company in the name of Riniki...” he alleged.

He claimed that the Congress had used images of passports and documents procured from a Pakistani social media group.