Congress alleges foreign passports for CM’s wife; Sarma warns of legal action

New Delhi/Guwahati, Apr 5: The Congress, on Sunday, levelled a series of serious allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, accusing the latter of holding multiple foreign passports and failing to disclose overseas assets in election affidavits.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that documents received by the party from overseas sources indicated that the Chief Minister’s wife possessed three “active” passports purportedly issued by the United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, and Egypt.

“We have received some documents from our supporters abroad. The nature of these documents is unprecedented against a sitting Chief Minister. Even we were shocked,” Khera said.

He questioned how an Indian citizen could allegedly hold multiple foreign passports, stating that Indian law does not permit dual citizenship.

“What we want to know is how the wife of a Chief Minister, whose politics is rooted in an anti-Muslim agenda, holds passports of two Muslim countries. We also want to understand how she can have dual citizenship when Indian law does not permit it,” he said.

Article 9 of the Constitution and Section 9 of the Citizenship Act, 1955, prohibit holding Indian citizenship alongside foreign nationality voluntarily. Acquiring another country's citizenship terminates Indian citizenship automatically.

“Does Riniki Bhuyan Sarma hold Indian citizenship at all?” he inquired.

The Congress leader further alleged that the Chief Minister and his wife had overseas financial interests, including properties in Dubai and a company registered in the US state of Wyoming, which he claimed had not been disclosed in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission.

Referring to documents related to a firm named “Riniki Bhuyan Sarma Asset Collective LLC”, Khera alleged that the entity had financial holdings and business plans, including hospitality ventures.

He questioned the choice of Wyoming as a jurisdiction, citing its tax structure and provisions for corporate privacy.

“Why Wyoming? Because it has no income or franchise tax. Non-residents in the US often set up companies there, as LLCs are not subject to income tax, making it a popular choice for privacy and asset protection,” he said.

Khera also demanded that the Election Commission examine the allegations and called for a probe into the matter. 

Responding swiftly, Chief Minister Sarma rejected all allegations as “malicious, fabricated and politically motivated”, and accused the Congress of attempting to mislead voters ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.

“Today’s press conference reflects the deep frustration and panic within the Congress party. As Assam moves towards a decisive mandate, such baseless attacks only expose their desperation,” Sarma said in a statement.

He announced that both criminal and civil defamation proceedings would be initiated against Khera within 48 hours.

“My wife and I will be filing defamation cases. He will be held fully accountable for his reckless and defamatory statements,” the Chief Minister said, adding that he had full faith in the judiciary.

Sarma asserted that the truth would emerge in a court of law and expressed confidence that the people of Assam would not be swayed by what he termed “propaganda”.

The exchange marks a sharp escalation in the political war of words between the BJP and the Congress ahead of the state elections, with both sides trading serious allegations as campaigning intensifies.