Khera’s comments hurt Assam, says Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the allegations brought by Congress leader Pawan Khera against his wife before the elections had hurt the sentiments of the people, as it was an attempt to malign an Assamese woman.

He maintained that state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi sharing the dais with Khera while the allegations were being levied could be a reason for the former losing his electoral battle.

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters here, Sarma said, “I have a commitment for Khera…You all wait and watch this film”.

Less than a week before polling, Khera alleged at two press conferences in New Delhi and Guwahati that Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, possessed multiple passports and foreign companies, which were not disclosed in the CM’s election affidavit. The CM and his wife had rejected the allegations, with Riniki Bhuyan Sharma also filing a police complaint here against Khera. The Congress leader has taken anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court in the matter.

Asked if he will act against Khera now as he had said previously, the CM said, “When Himanta Biswa Sarma says something, I seldom go back on it,” indicating that action will be pursued against the Congress leader.

Taking a sarcastic jibe at Khera, Sarma said, “I want to thank him. His allegations were against an Assamese woman, which made the people emotional. If he had not done the press conference and Gaurav Gogoi had not sat with him through it, he might not have lost today.”

Gogoi, who was foraying into state politics for the first time, lost to sitting BJP MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami from Jorhat Assembly segment.

Gogoi represents the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat.

“Khera wanted to malign an Assamese woman, and so, people of Assam have made him into a ‘peda’ (a type of flat, small-sized sweet)”, the CM said, as he celebrated the BJP-led NDA stupendous performance in the state elections by exchanging ‘peda’ with the state BJP president Dilip Saikia.