The political battle in Assam intensifies as Sarma and Gogoi exchange allegations over foreign links, with their family members now directly pulled into the controversy.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (left) and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi (right) amid escalating political exchange ahead of Assembly elections. | IANS and ANI
The political face-off between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi took a sharp personal turn on Monday, with their families drawn directly into the exchange of allegations.
The escalation comes days before polling in Assam, with both sides trading charges over alleged foreign links, assets and documents.
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The latest flashpoint came after Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, wife of the Chief Minister, publicly challenged Gogoi to clarify whether his wife has or ever had a bank account in Pakistan.
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“I’ll save you the suspense and answer these laughable questions myself,” she said in a post on X, denying any business interests or assets abroad for herself or her family. She then asked Gogoi to disclose details about his wife’s alleged bank account in Pakistan and make them public.
I’ll save you the suspense and answer these laughable questions myself, @GauravGogoiAsm.
Here it is: Neither I, nor my children, nor my husband have any business interests or assets in Dubai or anywhere outside India.
Now your turn. Can you disclose whether your wife has or has… https://t.co/1R364UxzOX
— Riniki Bhuyan Sharma (@rinikibsharma) April 6, 2026
Her remarks came in response to a series of questions raised earlier by Gogoi, who had asked whether Sarma’s wife holds a Dubai Golden Visa, whether it is linked to an Indian passport, and whether the family has business interests or properties abroad. He also called on the Chief Minister to welcome an investigation if there was nothing to hide.
Himanta Biswa Sarma should answer the below questions.
1) Does the wife of Himanta Sarma hold a Golden visa for Dubai ?
2) Is the Golden visa on an Indian passport ?
3) Does any family member of Himanta Biswa Sarma own properties in Dubai ?
4) Does any family member of…
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) April 6, 2026
Meanwhile, Sarma on Monday accused the Congress of circulating “fabricated documents” and misusing artificial intelligence to target his family ahead of the elections.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds multiple foreign passports and has undisclosed overseas assets, including properties in Dubai. He had also sought a probe into alleged financial links to a US-based company.
Rejecting the claims, Sarma said the documents were riddled with errors. “The so-called passports attributed to my wife are completely fake. There are spelling errors, incorrect formats, and even technical flaws such as non-functional QR codes,” he said.
He also dismissed the allegation about foreign citizenship, saying Dubai does not grant citizenship in the manner claimed.
In a demonstration, Sarma said his team created companies online in his wife’s name within 24 hours to show how easily fake entities can be generated. He added that a similar entity was created in the name of Gogoi to underline the point.
Calling it a “criminal conspiracy”, Sarma warned that those involved could face serious legal consequences.
He further alleged that the Congress was attempting to mislead voters ahead of the polls, but said people would ultimately vote based on development and employment.
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