Congress spokesperson and chairman of the Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera is currently on the run, “avoiding” the Assam Police as he himself said after an FIR was registered against him in Assam over his allegations against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s family.
Himanta is one of the most vociferous critics of the Congress, particularly Rahul Gandhi. Interestingly, Himanta has spent much of his political time with the Congress before he joined the BJP and rose to become the Chief Minister. Congress apparently feels betrayed, as the party president Mallikarjun Kharge always taunts him saying, “meri billi mujh se meow”. That is why he remains the prime target of the Congress.
As the BJP and Congress were tied in a tough battle in the eastern state in the assembly elections, Khera came out, what he claimed to be “sensational revelations”. He alleged that Himanta’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma had passports of three different countries, owned two residential properties in Dubai and the family owned a company in Wyoming State in the US worth $53000 crores. Khera also released some papers, which, he claimed, were available in the public domain.
There is always a way to communicate in the political discourse. Instead of asking the government to investigate and verify whether these claims and allegations were correct, he went on to say that Himanta’s wife actually possessed the passports, property as also the LLC in Wyoming with such huge financial capital. He did not leave anything to doubt. He made categorical allegations, although now he claims he only asked a question and wanted answers and investigation, which he will continue to ask in future also.
The three countries, whose passports Riniki Sharma was claimed to be having, have clarified that the details in the papers, which Khera presented as proof, were fake. There is no confirmation about the property owned by Riniki Sarma in Dubai and nor are there any details about the LLC in Wyoming.
Khera addressed the press conference just three days before the crucial Assam assembly elections. The nature of allegation was quite serious and could definitely have an impact on the electoral prospects of the Chief Minister. There is a difference between “revelations” and “allegations”. Khera merely came out with the allegations at a crucial time with obvious intent.
Sarma, not known for taking things lying down, retorted immediately ordering his government in Assam to register an FIR against Khera, which it did. The cops took no time in descending on the Delhi residence of Khera. He and none of his family members were present during the raid. Khera is since then “avoiding the police” and has reiterated that he is not running away.
Khera is reportedly in Telangana, where the Congress is in power. He had applied for bail in Telangana High Court and was on Friday granted one week of anticipatory bail.
Also read: Telangana HC grants Pawan Khera one-week anticipatory bail
The question is should the Assam Chief Minister have reacted the way he did. His anger is understandable as it was an attempt to tarnish his image just ahead of the crucial Assam elections when he is seeking a second consecutive term for himself and third for his party.
Interestingly, no other Congress leader took up the issue raised by Khera. It is surprising as to why did the party not go hammer and tongs against Himanta when it possessed sensational information that Khera had released to the media. None of the senior leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi touched the issue. They only came in defence of Khera and criticised the actions being taken by Assam Chief Minister in reaction.
Khera is not alone in having levelled such serious charges against someone without being able to offer any convincing evidence. The Assam Chief Minister is also not known to be someone who exercises any restraint. He even snubbed a reporter when he asked him about the type of language he used.
Even Kharge could not avoid a controversy. While he kept quiet on Khera’s charges against the Chief Minister, he himself courted controversy by equating the RSS with poisonous snakes, which he said, have to be killed. While making these remarks, apparently in front of a Muslim crowd, he even invoked Quranic teachings that how important it is to kill the snake, lest it kills you.
Such allegations and counter-allegations have cropped up in the political discourse in recent years only. Otherwise political parties and leaders would mostly exercise restraint in levelling personal charges and allegations, which at times are even abusive. This is the legacy of the social media, which is uncensored, unrestricted, untamed and unhinged, where people can and do say anything and everything. As the social media absorbs a lot many things, which would not be acceptable in the normal course, these have started creeping into the mainstream discourse as well. That is why the way Khera and Himanta speak, may not be the exceptional cases, but only examples of where the political discourse has landed.
But still, leaders could have been more discreet.
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