CM Himanta Declares All Properties Owned by His Wife Will go to People of Assam

The chief minister went on saying, “Whatever Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has earned will be given to the people of Assam, no one else will take it. Whatever she has, so far, has been dedicated to the people — the broadcast channel News Live would also be willed for the people of Assam, nothing would be kept for my son and daughter… Read the will later and you would know.”

Mr Sarma also asked whether gains in business should be “thrown into the water”. “One must do something while he or she is alive,” he added.

Among his wife’s properties, the chief minister mentioned a particular resort without naming it, and the Vandya International School in Amingaon, North Guwahati, apart from plots in Guwahati. “The land in Ganeshguri (Guwahati) has a Sai Baba temple now, and we are building a Shiv temple on another property at Zoo Road… The Vandya International School would one day belong to the people of Assam, and also the resort. My children don’t need anything. Everything will stay here,” Mr Sarma, visibly upset over the accusation of opposition Congress, told reporters.

In fact controversy broke out after the Assam chief minister blamed the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) for waging what he called---flood jihad in Assam.

Stating that the architecture of the university building resembles 'Mecca', one of the holiest place of Islam, Mr Sarma blamed the university, which is situated on the hill-top of Meghalaya, adjoining Guwahati, of deforestation and cutting of hills, leading to the flash floods in Guwahati. He said that construction over the hills was largely responsible for the flash-floods in Guwahati.

He also accused the institution of destroying education and the domed gate was a sign of 'jihad'. He also announced that his government would approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the university which is situated in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district.

The university is being run by a foundation, which was started by a Bengali Muslim named Mahbubul Hoque. The latter is the chancellor of the university.

Referring to three domes atop the university's main gate, Mr Sarma claimed that it resembled Mecca and Medina.

“It’s embarrassing to go there, you have to go under ‘Mecca’. What we are saying is that there should be a namghar (community prayer hall, part of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition) also there. ‘Mecca-Medina’, church. Make all three…he argued.

The Congress, which earlier blamed Mr Sarma for targeting a private university of a neighbouring state to cover up his failure in mitigating the flash flood of Guwahati, was quick to react with Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah saying that the chief minister was merely trying to “cover up corruption” with “lies and by creating an emotional atmosphere”. Mr Borah demanded that Mr Sarma should make public the properties he wanted to include in the will and submit the will deed to the state chief secretary.

“The way he assumed the role of a spokesperson, defending his wife’s business assets, only proves my allegations are true,” said Mr Borah. He added when the Congress forms a government, a special investigative team (SIT) would be constituted to look into alleged corruption and malpractices during the BJP rule.

“When we form the government in 2026, we’ll constitute an SIT to look into the unnatural accumulation of wealth during the BJP government’s tenure, seize the properties identified by the SIT, sell them off and deposit the money in the state treasury,” Borah announced.