New Delhi: A defamation suit of Rs 10 crore is looming over Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who has been accusing Assam Chief Minster Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife of receiving a large subsidy from the central government for the latter’s media company — Pride East Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the chief minister’s wife, broke her silence Thursday and issued a statement denying the allegations and calling Gogoi’s campaign “slanderous”. She also announced her decision to file the defamation suit against the Congress leader.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, however, continued to attack the couple, citing documents from two different ministries to back its claim.
“Pride East Entertainments Pvt. Ltd. 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 & successful business track record, Pride East Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.— like any other qualifying enterprise — is eligible to participate in government supported programmes/incentive schemes,” said the statement released by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.
“However, in the present case, pertaining to the PM Kisan Sampada Yojana, Pride East Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. has neither claimed nor received a single paisa of government subsidy, despite meeting all the eligibility criteria,” it added.
The statement asserted that the attack was “nothing but an effort to malign and defame a 17-year-old Assamese enterprise, which has adhered to every aspect of the law, headed by a woman entrepreneur”.
“To protect the reputation of our hardworking employees from this slanderous campaign of Shri Gaurav Gogoi — Hon’ble MP — I am thereby constrained to file a case of defamation with Rs 10 crore in damages against him in the court of law,” she added.
Gogoi has been engaged in a heated exchange with the Assam chief minister on X (formerly Twitter) for two consecutive days, presenting documents from two different ministries to back his claim.
A day after presenting a document from the Ministry of Food Processing purportedly showing grants of Rs 10 crore to Pride East Entertainment Private Limited, Gogoi Thursday presented documents from the Ministry of Commerce to prove his point.
On social media platform ‘X’, Gogoi produced a reply of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal where he had listed the approved projects under PM Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) to a parliamentary question from BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das in March.
In the list, under approved projects for agro-processing cluster schemes, an approved grant of Rs 10 crore was shown to have been sanctioned to Riniki Sharma’s company. The status of the grant, according to the document, was “under implementation”.
The whole day yesterday Himanta Biswa Sarma parroted one line regarding his wife’s firm. For his benefit I am stating the reply of Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in Parliament. Piyush Goyal’s reply has exposed the truth and both Ministers need to clarify. https://t.co/JiSBuLHBw9 pic.twitter.com/5SOueOPb11
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) September 14, 2023
Himanta, however, denied that his wife or her company had received or claimed any amount from the government. He said that the documents only showed that the grants were approved, but not released.
Meanwhile, in a press conference held in Delhi Wednesday, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh alleged that Riniki Sharma’s company had purchased approximately 50 bighas of land in Assam’s Naogaon.
The land, Vallabh alleged, was very swiftly converted to industrial land and added that Pride East Entertainment Private Limited wrote to the Ministry of Food Processing saying that it would get into the domain. According to the Congress, the request for subsidies under PMKSY was thereafter applied for.
War of words
To the list posted on Twitter by Gogoi claiming that Rs 10 crore was released to the company, the Assam CM said no such release was made. “The reply itself clarifies the fact that the Government of India has not released any funds to the mentioned company,” he tweeted Thursday.
The reply itself clarifies the fact that the Government of India has not released any funds to the mentioned company. I want to emphasize once again that neither my wife nor the company she is associated with has received or claimed any amount from the Government of India. If… https://t.co/70zQ1DGHTe
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 14, 2023
To this, Gogoi responded asking if the CM was saying that funds were approved, but not released. He also questioned how many more BJP politicians had used the PMKSY scheme to enrich their families.
“Is Hon’ble Chief Minister complaining to Union Minister Piyush Goyal? He is saying that Piyush Goyal has only approved the grant to the wife of Himanta Biswa Sarma but has not released the funds. How many more BJP politicians have used the PMKSY scheme to enrich their families? (sic),” Gogoi tweeted.
The CM then accused Gogoi of “changing the goal post” and clarified that his wife hadn’t even claimed subsidy.
“Please do not change the goal post now. Yes, all family members of the BJP politicians have the right to run their own companies and seek government subsidies, if they are entitled to them. This is true for everyone. However, I would like to clarify that in this particular case, my wife has not even claimed the subsidy,” he tweeted.
In response, Gogoi said: “Please be present in the Assam assembly and clarify instead of typing on Twitter. Congress MLAs in the morning have moved an adjournment motion to discuss the entire Pride Media-KMSY but you’re answer is lacking. (sic)”.
Himanta hit back, saying that the latter should not “lecture” him.
Please do not lecture me on what to do. Whether I decide to go to the assembly or a court of law against you, I will make that decision myself. https://t.co/38OAG2xy6T
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 14, 2023
To this Gogoi asked him to not get “agitated”.
“Yes, I am agitated. There have been numerous reasons for my anger against your family since 2010. I am confident that we will meet in court, and once again, I will be able to prove my point. I have successfully done so in 2016 and 2021, and I am determined to do it again, both in the People’s Court and in a court of law”, replied Himanta.
Later, Gogoi advised the chief minister to make Union Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP MP Pallab Das a party to the case.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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