Himanta's wife has 3 foreign passports: Congress targets Assam CM
What's the story
A political controversy has erupted in Assam after Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, holds three foreign passports. The allegations were made during a press conference in Delhi, where Khera claimed to have documents supporting his claims. He alleged that Sharma holds a United Arab Emirates Golden Card, an Antigua and Barbuda passport, and an Egyptian passport.
Twitter Post
Pawan Khera's press conference alleging offense by Sarma's wife
Delhi: Congress leader Pawan Khera says, "You are seeing photos of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife. Their names have been linked to several allegations such as land grabbing, misuse of temple funds, government subsidies, and chit fund scams. But today, the… pic.twitter.com/QoTVlZoFEa
— IANS (@ians_india) April 5, 2026
Legal action announced
Sarma to file defamation suits against Khera
Sarma has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and announced plans to file defamation suits against Khera. He wrote on X, "I categorically reject every allegation made by him. These are malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies aimed at misleading the people of Assam." Sarma said he would file both criminal and civil defamation cases within 48 hours against Khera for his "reckless and defamatory statements."
Twitter Post
Himanta Biswa Sarma threatens legal action
Today’s press conference by Pawan Khera reflects the deep frustration and panic within the Congress party. As Assam moves decisively towards a historic mandate, such desperate and baseless attacks only expose their sinking ground.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 5, 2026
I categorically reject every allegation made by…
Investigation demanded
Congress leader demands probe into allegations
Assam Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has also demanded a probe into the allegations. He called holding multiple passports and failing to disclose properties a grave and criminal offense. Gogoi asked how much money had been sent from Assam to foreign bank accounts, calling Sarma an "embarrassment" who would have to answer for his actions.
Document discrepancies
Sarma points out discrepancies in documents presented by Khera
Sarma has also pointed out what he calls "serious discrepancies" in the documents that Khera presented. He noted a "surname mismatch—'SARMA' used instead of the official 'SHARMA'" and a photograph that looked like a publicly available image, not a biometric capture. Referring to an Antigua and Barbuda passport, he pointed to an "expiry date mismatch between printed field and MRZ," while an Egyptian passport allegedly showed "passport number mismatch... spelling errors ('Egyptiann') and incorrect Arabic reference."