New Delhi [India], April 7 : BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Tuesday accused the Congress party of involvement in a Pakistan-backed plot to assassinate Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his family.
Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla alleged that Congress leaders acted based on fake documents supplied by Pakistan.
He said, "Pawan Khera and the Congress party had accepted a contract to carry out the political assassination of Himanta Biswa Sarma and his family based on fake documents supplied by Pakistan. Within half an hour, the documents provided by Pakistan were proven to be fake... Instead of providing evidence for his allegations, Pawan Khera is now like a missing tree, creating a ruckus. He has disappeared, he is absconding..."
Poonawalla elaborated on the purported flaws in the documents, stating, "See, based on fake documents supplied by Pakistan, Pawan Khera and the Congress Party took a contract (supari) to carry out the political assassination of Himanta Biswa Sarma ji and his family. Within half an hour, those Pakistan-sponsored documents were proven fake. They contained date errors, spelling errors, photo errors - errors of every kind. Egyptian and other authorities also confirmed that the photo of the Assam Chief Minister's wife was superimposed on this document."
He further criticised the Congress leadership, saying, "Once this entire plot was exposed, instead of providing facts and evidence for his allegations, Pawan Khera, after creating a major ruckus, has now disappeared like a 'gayab peda'. He has vanished; he is a fugitive, an absconder. But absconding will not help. If you target an elected Chief Minister of Assam and his family on Islamabad's agenda after taking a contract, you will have to answer for it. You will have to answer legally."
Highlighting alleged Pakistani involvement, Poonawalla added, "For 15 days, there had been an extensive discussion in Pakistan about how to orchestrate the political assassination of Himanta Biswa Sarma because he speaks for Indians, stands against infiltrators, and maintains a very strict watch on national security. It was likely based on that planning that those documents were given to Congress, and Congress subsequently had Pawan Khera ji hold a press conference. Now the challenge for the Congress party is to prove that the fake document is correct; otherwise, they will have to answer in court."
He concluded by pointing fingers at other Congress leaders, stating, "And when legal proceedings begin, Mallikarjun Kharge ji and the Congress party come forward to defend him. This clearly indicates that this is not the Indian National Congress, but the 'Islamabad National Congress.' Under a well-planned agenda, because the Assam Chief Minister speaks against infiltrators, he is being 'punished' for removing them."
On Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi, Poonawalla alleged, "The final point is that the real link to Pakistan lies with Gaurav Gogoi and his family. His wife has taken money from a Pakistani ISI agent; there is full evidence of how they visited Pakistan secretly. They are unable to provide an answer for that, but today they should answer for all these things instead of running away."
The remarks come amid heightened tensions over allegations made by Pawan Khera against the Sarma family. Khera had alleged that CM Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds three passports from India, the UAE, and Egypt and owns undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai, along with a company in Wyoming, USA.
The Sarma family has strongly denied these claims, terming the documents "AI-generated fabrications" circulated by Pakistani social media groups.
Responding to the accusations, CM Sarma had earlier vowed stern action, stating, "Before levelling an allegation, he should have asked the Foreign Minister. Kharge ji has aged, yet he speaks like a madman. Assam Police can find and bring people from 'pataal' as well. I suspect Rahul Gandhi has given him these documents. So this case will extend to Rahul Gandhi. Do not try to scare us. This is Assam, and we have fought against Islamic invasion 17 times."
Following the police searches at Khera's residence, Assam Police DCP Debajit Nath said, "We have searched his house. We can't give more details."
CM Sarma also claimed that Khera "ran away" to Hyderabad after the searches, adding, "I have come to know through the media that the police have gone to his residence in Delhi, but he has run away to Hyderabad. The law will take its own course."
Assam's Assembly elections are scheduled for April 9, with campaigning concluding Monday evening and counting of votes on May 4.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor