Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after a team of the Assam Police, assisted by local officials, visited the Delhi residence of party spokesperson Pawan Khera in connection with an FIR tied to his recent allegations against the chief minister’s family. The development comes against the backdrop of an intense political contest ahead of the Assam assembly elections.
In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh accused Sarma of misusing state machinery to target political opponents. “The deployment of a full army of police officials to arrest my colleague Pawan Khera for asking basic questions in the public interest proves that the Assam CM is disturbed, desperate, and rattled,” he said, describing the move as excessive and politically motivated. He further alleged, “This is not due process but instead a witch hunt, a bully using state machinery to muzzle and silence the voice of the Opposition that is exposing his many black deeds,” adding that such actions reflect fear and an attempt to suppress dissent.
Escalating his criticism, Ramesh suggested that the episode points to political insecurity within the ruling dispensation. “It also proves that the CM is facing imminent defeat,” he said, echoing the Congress party’s stance that the Bharatiya Janata Party may be on uncertain ground in the upcoming polls.
The controversy originates from claims made by Khera earlier this fortnight, in which he alleged that Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds multiple foreign passports and raised questions about the family’s financial disclosures. The chief minister has strongly rejected the accusations, calling them baseless and fabricated. Sarma and his party have also accused Congress of relying on misinformation sourced from Pakistani social media and have indicated plans to pursue legal remedies, including defamation proceedings, against Khera.
The police visit followed the filing of a First Information Report in Guwahati based on a complaint lodged by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma with the city police commissionerate. Officials said the Assam Police coordinated with Delhi Police as part of the procedure linked to the case.
The episode underscores the deeply polarised political atmosphere in Assam as elections approach, with both sides trading allegations over corruption, misuse of power, and campaign narratives dominating the discourse.