'Malicious, fabricated lies': Himanta Biswa Sarma rejects Pawan Khera's 'passport' claims, to file defamation cases

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has threatened legal action against senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, calling his allegations "malicious, fabricated, and politically motivated lies" after Khera claimed that the Chief Minister's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds valid passports from three foreign countries.

"My wife and I will be filing both criminal and civil defamation cases within the next 48 hours against Shri Pawan Khera," Sarma wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "He will be held fully accountable for his reckless and defamatory statements."

The Chief Minister dismissed the press conference as a sign of weakness within the opposition. "Today's press conference by Pawan Khera reflects the deep frustration and panic within the Congress party," he wrote, adding that such attacks "only expose their sinking ground" as Assam heads towards what he described as a historic electoral mandate.

"I have complete faith in the judiciary. Once the truth is established in a court of law, Shri Pawan Khera will face the consequences of his actions," Sarma added.

The row erupted after Khera addressed reporters, claiming to possess documentary evidence showing Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds passports from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda — all allegedly valid simultaneously. He described a UAE Golden Card purportedly issued in Abu Dhabi on 14 March 2022, an Antigua and Barbuda passport allegedly issued on 26 August 2021, and an Egyptian passport reportedly issued on 13 February 2022.

"These are three passports; there may be more, we do not know," Khera said at the press conference.

The allegation carries particular political weight given that India does not permit dual citizenship, let alone passports from multiple foreign nations. "How can an Indian national have three passports from three different countries?" Khera asked, directing the question as much at the government as at Sarma himself.

Khera also drew Union Home Minister Amit Shah into the controversy, questioning whether he had knowledge of the alleged documents. "The whole country knows that Himanta Biswa Sarma is like an adopted son of Amit Shah," he said, asking whether the Home Minister was aware that "his adopted daughter-in-law holds three passports — Egypt, UAE, Antigua and Barbuda."

The Congress leader further accused Sarma of hypocrisy, arguing that a Chief Minister who has built much of his political identity around issues of citizenship and nationality owed the public a straightforward explanation. "You preach to others but disgrace yourselves," Khera said.

Sarma, however, remained defiant and appeared unmoved by the charges. "The people of Assam will not be misled by such propaganda. We remain focused, determined, and confident of securing a decisive mandate of more than 100 seats from the people," he wrote.