Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has filed a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi over allegations that her firm received a Central government subsidy of Rs 10 crore.
"The title suit-590/23, miscellaneous (J) case number-953/23, was filed and registered on Friday and will be moved before the allotted court of civil judge (senior division), Kamrup Metropolitan in Guwahati, on Tuesday next. Bhuyan Sarma has claimed a Rs 10 crore damage in her suit," Rajiv Borpujari, who is Riniki Bhuyan Sarma’s counsel said.
In response to the allegations raised against her company Pride East Entertainments Private Limited, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma tweeted on September 14 this year: “Pride East Entertainments Private Limited is an independent entity in existence since 2006 with business interests in varied sectors. It is a law abiding company with all its financial records in the public domain. With a long and successful business track record, Pride East Entertainments Private Limited like any other qualifying enterprise is eligible to participate in government supported programs and incentive schemes.”
“However, in the present case, pertaining to the Prime Minister Kisan Sampada Scheme, Pride East Entertainments Private Limited has neither claimed or received a single paisa of government subsidy, despite meeting all the eligibility criteria,” Bhuyan Sarma added.
Earlier this month, Gaurav Gogoi in a series of tweets alleged that Chief Minister Sarma had helped his wife's firm in getting an Rs 10 crore subsidy from the Central government under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana.
Gogoi demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sarma over the matter and sought a probe into the alleged government grants and land acquisition by the company owned by Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.
He also wrote to the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, to intervene in the issue. “It has come to notice that the Ministry of Food Processing under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) and Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro Clusters, has allocated an amount of Rs 10 crore to Pride East Entertainment Private Limited, the promoter of which is Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,” Gogoi stated in the letter.
However, the Assam Chief Minister vehemently denied the allegations and engaged in a Twitter spat with him.