Guwahati, April 6: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on April 6 took a swipe at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma amid the ongoing controversy over alleged passport-related claims involving the latter’s wife.
In a post on X, Gogoi said he was “reading about the Golden Visa in Dubai,” describing it as a long-term residence visa that allows investors to live in the United Arab Emirates, in an apparent reference to the documents at the centre of the row.
The remarks follow allegations by Pawan Khera, who claimed that certain documents suggested that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds multiple active passports, raising questions over possible violations of Indian law. Khera had questioned how multiple passports could be held and sought clarification from the Chief Minister.
Escalating his attack, Gogoi also called for a probe into Sarma’s properties, stating that the Chief Minister would have to respond to the allegations.
Sarma, however, has dismissed the claims as baseless, asserting that verification from Dubai authorities and the Government of India confirmed that the passport cited in the allegations is “fake”. He added that the Assam Police has initiated an inquiry into the matter.
“The photograph used in one of the passports is not hers,” Sarma said, adding that reports on other documents are awaited from the concerned authorities.
The controversy has intensified the political exchange between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress ahead of the Assembly elections, with both sides continuing to trade allegations.
