Assam Assembly passes UCC Bill, CM Sarma calls it ‘most secular, uniform and progressive law’
With the passage of the proposed legislation, Assam has now emerged as the third state, after Uttarakhand and Gujarat, to pass a Uniform Civil Code Bill.
A sharp political exchange has broken out in Assam, with state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi accusing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of hiding overseas assets and spreading “lies”. The Chief Minister, in turn, has dismissed the allegations as fabricated and politically motivated.
The confrontation comes at a time when the passport controversy linked to Sarma’s wife has escalated into a full-blown political issue.
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Speaking to ANI, Gogoi alleged that Sarma had not been truthful about his family’s financial interests abroad. He said the Congress would bring out details related to properties and businesses overseas. He also raised specific questions, asking whether the Chief Minister’s family holds a “Gold Card” in Dubai, owns property there, and whether such information was declared in election documents.
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Gogoi said that if these details were not disclosed, it could lead to legal consequences. He added that if his party comes to power, action would be taken against what he described as illegal assets and business links.
“He should clearly be disqualified, an ED case should be filed, and if our government comes to power, all his illegal properties, illegal businesses, and his connections to everything from cow smuggling to the coal mafia, legal action will be taken against them,” Gogoi said.
#WATCH | Guwahati: On Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegations, State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi says, “He can tell thousands of lies. He has been lying for so long. The Congress Party is going to expose all these lies regarding his family’s property and his family’s… https://t.co/S5bBLdtBKn pic.twitter.com/ULMDGqj2VI
— ANI (@ANI) April 6, 2026
In a separate post on X, Gogoi took a swipe at the issue by referring to Dubai’s Golden visa programme, describing it as a long-term residence option for investors in the United Arab Emirates.
Reading about the Golden visa in Dubai. It is a long-term residence visa which enables to investors to live in the United Arab Emirates.
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) April 6, 2026
Sarma rejects charges, questions Congress claims
Sarma has strongly denied all allegations and said the documents cited by Congress leaders were not genuine. He claimed that some of the material was digitally altered and sourced from Pakistani platforms, calling it part of a larger attempt to mislead people.
He also questioned why such content was being circulated and suggested that it could harm national interests. The Chief Minister said a police complaint had already been filed against Congress leader Pawan Khera and others, and that the matter has been reported to the central government.
The controversy began after Khera alleged that documents indicated Sarma’s wife held multiple passports and had undisclosed business interests abroad, including in Dubai and the United States. He also raised questions about possible violations of Indian law related to citizenship and passport rules.
Responding to these claims, Sarma said verification had already been carried out. He stated that authorities in Dubai, as well as the Government of India, had confirmed that one of the passports cited in the allegations was fake. He added that the photograph used in that document did not belong to his wife and that reports on other documents were expected soon.
The Assam Police have begun an inquiry into the matter.
With political temperatures rising, the issue has added to the charged atmosphere ahead of the state Assembly elections. Assam will vote in a single phase on April 9 across 126 constituencies, with counting scheduled for May 4.
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