Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 14 (ANI): As Congress leader Pawan Khera arrived at the Crime Branch Police Station in Guwahati on Thursday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took a swipe at him, saying, 'Assam's Peda's taste is good.'

The remarks were made by the Chief Minister while visiting the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati and offering prayers to Goddess Kamakhya.

While speaking to reporters, CM Sarma also expressed confidence in the state's growth over the next five years.

CM Sarma said, 'I am confident that with the blessings of Mahamaya Maa Kamakhya, our state will go forward in the next 5 years. Assam's Peda's taste is good.'

Khera was at the Crime Branch on Thursday in connection with the passport case linked to CM Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.

Earlier in the day, while speaking to reporters outside the police station, Congress leader Khera said he was cooperating with the probe. 'The investigation is underway, and I am cooperating in it,' he said.

The controversy erupted after Congress leader Pawan Khera, in an April press conference, alleged that CM Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds three passports, from India, the UAE, and Egypt, and owns undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai, along with a company in Wyoming, USA.

The Sarma family has strongly denied these claims, terming the documents 'AI-generated fabrications' circulated by Pakistani social media groups.

Responding to the accusations, CM Sarma had earlier vowed stern action, stating, 'Before levelling an allegation, he should have asked the Foreign Minister. Kharge ji has aged, yet he speaks like a madman. Assam Police can find and bring people from 'pataal' as well. I suspect Rahul Gandhi has given him these documents. So this case will extend to Rahul Gandhi. Do not try to scare us. This is Assam, and we have fought against Islamic invasion 17 times.'

CM Sarma also claimed that Khera 'ran away' to Hyderabad after the searches, adding, 'I have come to know through the media that the police have gone to his residence in Delhi, but he has run away to Hyderabad. The law will take its own course.' (ANI)