New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday hit out at the Congress for calling Assam Police action against Pawan Khera a “witch hunt” and said the opposition party leader must face consequences for levelling “fake” allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife.
An Assam Police team descended on the Delhi residence of Khera to question him after Sarma’s wife filed a case over his allegations that she possesses passports of three countries and the Assam chief minister had concealed information about her properties.
“They have approached the police. The police are doing their job,” senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters at the BJP headquarters while replying to queries on the issue.
Prasad said Khera made “palpably false” allegations against the Assam chief minister and his wife, and now he is “running away” when police have initiated action in the case.
Slamming the police action, the Congress had called it a “witch hunt” and alleged that a “bully” was using state machinery to muzzle the opposition’s voice.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the deployment of a “full army of police officials” to arrest Khera for asking basic questions in the public interest proves that the Assam CM is “disturbed, desperate, and rattled”.
However, Prasad said Khera should face the consequences for making “fake allegations “against the CM’s wife, instead of running away.
“If you make fake allegations impinging upon the national credentials of any lady who is the wife of the chief minister, be ready to face the consequences.
“They have approached the police. The police are doing their job… Why are you running away now when the police have initiated action? Face it,” the BJP MP and former Union minister said.
Khera had on Sunday alleged that Sarma’s wife possesses passports of three countries and that he concealed information about her properties, but the BJP leader “categorically rejected” the claims as “malicious” and “fabricated” and vowed to take legal action “within 48 hours”.
Speaking with reporters outside Khera’s house in Delhi, Assam police DCP Debojit Nath said that Khera was not found at his residence. However, he said, a search was carried out, and electronic devices were seized.
Some “incriminating material” was found, but its details cannot be disclosed at this stage, he said, adding the case had been registered at the Crime Branch Police Station in Guwahati.
Targeting Sarma as the campaign peaks for the April 9 election in Assam, Khera showed, at a press conference on Sunday, purported documents to support the allegations and demanded that the Election Commission cancel his nomination for allegedly concealing information in his poll affidavit.
The Congress has also filed a complaint with the Election Commission on Monday, demanding the cancellation of Sarma’s candidature, contending that he did not mention his wife’s alleged offshore assets in the poll affidavit.
Terming the allegations as “malicious, fabricated and politically motivated”, Sarma said that as Assam moves decisively towards a historic mandate, such desperate and baseless attacks only expose the Congress’ sinking ground.
He alleged that “documents being circulated show multiple glaring inconsistencies, suggesting a crude and poorly executed attempt at digital manipulation”.
