Against Gaurav Gogoi,defamation case filed by CM Assam wife

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, has filed a defamation suit against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi for alleging that her firm received a subsidy of Rs 10 crore from the central government.

The case will be heard on September 26, 2023, in the Court of Civil Judge (Senior Division), Kamrup Metro in Guwahati.

Bhuyan, who is the CMD of Pride East Entertainments Pvt Ltd, had earlier said that she would take Gogoi to court for his alleged “slanderous campaign.”

She described the allegations as an attack to malign and defame an Assamese enterprise headed by a woman entrepreneur.

Bhuyan further asserted that her company is eligible to participate in government-supported programs and incentive schemes, like any other qualifying enterprise.

She said that Pride East Entertainment Pvt Ltd has neither claimed nor received a single penny of government subsidy in the present case, pertaining to the PM Kisan Sampada Scheme, despite meeting all the eligibility criteria.

A war of words ensued between the Assam chief minister and Gaurav Gogoi after the latter alleged that the CM Sarma had helped his wife’s firm to get a subsidy of Rs 10 crore from the central government under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana.

However, CM Sarma denied the charge, saying that his wife did not benefit from the subsidy.

Gaurav Gogoi had also shared a screenshot of the Ministry of Food Processing website showing the central government approved a Rs 10 crore grant to Riniki Bhuyan’s company.

He also shared a reply from Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in Parliament.