'Tourism in Islamabad… appeal to some couples': Riniki Bhuyan Sharma's Pakistan jibe at Gaurav Gogoi

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, on April 6, hinted that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and his wife favour Pakistan. She questioned whether visiting cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi appeals to some couples. The remark came as a subtle dig after Gogoi raised questions about her family's alleged links to Dubai.

"Reading about tourism in Islamabad, Lahore and Rawalpindi. It seems to genuinely appeal to some couples," she wrote on April 6, directly quote-retweeting Gogoi's post in which he had written: "Reading about the Golden visa in Dubai. It is a long-term residence visa which enables investors to live in the United Arab Emirates."

The barb was widely read as an insinuation about Gogoi and his wife — a follow-up to a more direct challenge she had issued earlier in the day.

Earlier on Monday morning, Sharma had denied the central allegations against her family head-on. "Neither I, nor my children, nor my husband have any business interests or assets in Dubai or anywhere outside India," she wrote.

She then went on the offensive, asking Gogoi whether his wife holds or has ever held a bank account in Pakistan, and whether he would be willing to make those details public. She also accused him of shifting his position, noting that within 24 hours, he had moved from referring to a "Golden visa on an Egyptian passport" to one on an "Indian passport."

Gogoi had been pressing the Chief Minister with a series of questions about alleged foreign links, asking whether Sharma holds a Dubai Golden Visa, whether it is tied to an Indian passport, and whether any family members own property or run businesses abroad. He also questioned whether such assets had been declared in election affidavits and said Sarma should welcome an investigation if he had nothing to hide.

The row has its origins in allegations first made by Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, who claimed at a press conference in New Delhi that Sharma held passports from Egypt, the UAE, and Antigua and Barbuda — potentially in violation of Indian citizenship laws. Khera also alleged that she owned properties in Dubai undisclosed in the Chief Minister's election affidavit, and pointed to a US-based firm, Asset Collective LLC, which he claimed was linked to Sarma and his son.

Sharma had swiftly rejected those claims on April 5, calling the documents "poorly fabricated" and accusing Khera of using artificial intelligence and image editing to manufacture evidence. In a sharp remark directed at him, she wrote: "Aapki sirf tapasya mein hi nahi, AI generation aur photoshopping mein bhi kami reh gayi." She announced that criminal charges were being initiated and said, "I will now be letting the law take over. We can continue this in court."

Chief Minister Sarma had similarly dismissed the allegations as "malicious" and "fabricated," calling them politically motivated, and announced defamation proceedings against Khera within 48 hours. The BJP has called the documents fake and accused Congress of attempting to defame the Chief Minister ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.