Assam: Congress Alleges CM Himanta Biswa Sarma ‘Helped’ Wife get Rs 10 cr Subsidy

Assam Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday took a dig at the state’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, sparking a war of words on social media platform X. Citing a Central government website, Gogoi accused the CM’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, of receiving “Rs 10 crore government grant” as part of credit-linked subsidy.

Sharing a screenshot of the Ministry of Food Processing's website, Gogoi wrote on X that the Assam CM’s wife and her firm Pride East Entertainments Pvt Ltd have been mentioned in a list of beneficiaries of financial grants approved by the Union ministry. He wrote: "PM Modi launched the Kisan Sampada scheme to double the income of farmers of India. But in Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used his influence to help his wife’s firm get Rs 10 crore as part of credit linked subsidy. Are Central government schemes meant to enrich BJP?"

Denying Gogoi's accusation, CM Sarma claimed that his wife and her company never received any Central government subsidy. "I would like to clarify that neither my wife nor the company she is associated with has ever received any financial subsidies from the Government of India," he said on X. 

I would like to clarify that neither my wife nor the company she is associated with has ever received any financial subsidies from the Government of India https://t.co/oqGG21nEp6

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 13, 2023

The heated exchange continued as Gogoi responded to Sarma, asserting, "The Ministry of Food Processing website clearly shows the name of the person and the company she [Riniki Sarma] is associated with." 

Gogoi further commented, "The Rs 10 crore government grant has also been approved. Please report to the Union Minister if their website has been hacked."

In a subsequent post, Gogoi shared a link to a document that seemingly corroborated his claims. The document, accessible at listed Riniki Sarma's Pride East Entertainment Private Limited as one of the beneficiaries of financial grants under the Agro-Processing Cluster (APC) Scheme.

For the convenience of the Hon’ble Chief Minister I am attaching the link to the website of the Ministry of Food Processing. It shows the list of companies and promoters who have received the Rs 10 crore government subsidy. Please see serial 10.https://t.co/rR2m9PH8DX https://t.co/O9krRaDSRW

— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) September 13, 2023

An Assamese web portal recently published a report alleging that a substantial parcel of agricultural land measuring over 50 bighas at Darigaji village in Kaliabor in Nagaon district was reclassified as industrial land within a month after it was bought by family members of the chief minister.

The Assam Jatiya Parishad President Lurinjyoti Gogoi called for a thorough and impartial judicial inquiry into it by the Gauhati High Court.

"What further compounds the gravity of these allegations is the claim that the Chief Minister's wife reportedly benefited from the Prime Minister’s Kishan Sampada Yojana, a government scheme designed to support farmers", the AJP leader said.

The social media exchange between the Congress MP and the Assam Chief Minister has again brought issues around financial subsidies and government grants reaching real beneficiaries, to the forefront.

(inputs from PTI)