Assam Chief Minister Initiates Defamation Proceedings Against Congress Leaders Over Land Grab Allegations

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday announced that he will initiate civil and criminal defamation proceedings on February 9 against senior Congress leaders after they accused him and his family of massive land grab in the state. In a post on X, Sarma said the cases would be filed against Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and senior party leader Debabrata Saikia. “I am initiating civil and criminal defamation proceedings on 9 February 2026 against Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, Gaurav Gogoi and Debabrata Saikia for making false, malicious and defamatory statements against me in today’s press conference," Sarma wrote. “The era of hit-and-run politics is over. If they have even an ounce of courage or evidence, let them prove every allegation before a court of law. I will not be intimidated by propaganda, coordinated slander or political theatrics of so-called slaves of the Gandhi family," he added. The Congress had earlier held a press conference in Guwahati where Jitendra Singh and Baghel, along with state leaders, released a campaign pamphlet accusing Sarma’s family of illegally occupying nearly 12,000 bighas of land across Assam. The pamphlet includes a QR code through which people can submit information about the Chief Minister’s alleged land and property holdings. It also provides a toll-free missed call number for citizens to share details on what the Congress described as undisclosed assets of Sarma and his family. According to the material in the pamphlet, “within Assam, around 12,000 bighas of land are registered in the name of the Chief Minister’s family," and the party promised that if voted to power, it would investigate the claims and redistribute the land among the poor. Addressing the media, Congress general secretary Jitendra Singh launched a sharp attack on Sarma. “No one can trust the Chief Minister. He betrayed his own political mentor Hiteswar Saikia and even former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. He also betrayed former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to capture the seat of power," Singh alleged. He further claimed that the Chief Minister has close financial stakes with a handful of contractors in Assam. “There are only five or six contractors in the state who receive all major projects," Singh said. Baghel accused Sarma of widespread corruption and nepotism. “In the last five years, there is hardly a single person whom Himanta Biswa Sarma has not deceived. Even his wife is involved in looting," the former Chhattisgarh chief minister alleged. The Congress leaders said they would continue to gather information on what they called illegal land deals by the Chief Minister’s family and make further disclosures in the coming days. Rejecting the charges, the BJP described the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. “Is it possible to keep such a huge land when no individual can hold more than 50 bighas as per the ceiling act? That means Gaurav Gogoi does not even know the law," Sarmah told mediapersons. He challenged the Congress leader to approach the courts if he had any evidence. “From Bofors to Robert Vadra, people have gone to court whenever there were allegations. Our judicial system gives a platform to expose corruption. Gogoi is not doing it because these claims have no basis," the BJP leader said.