Ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, a photo controversy has triggered a massive political showdown between CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leader Pawan Khera. After Khera shared a photo of the CM with a Bangladeshi cleric linked to pro-Pakistan outfits, Sarma counter-attacked, stating that the move has “boomeranged” on the Congress party.

The Counter-Attack: Responding to allegations on X, CM Sarma clarified that the cleric in question had previously visited the residence of former CM Tarun Gogoi and met with State Congress President Gaurav Gogoi. “Pawan Khera ji sharing my photo with a Maulana is like an arrow hitting back at them. The same Maulana visited Tarun Gogoi ji’s house and met Gaurav Gogoi as well,” Sarma remarked.

The Reason for Quitting Congress: Sarma further claimed that during his tenure in the Congress, he was frequently directed to meet various clerics, which he cited as a major reason for leaving the party in 2015. This exchange comes amid an intensifying investigation into Gaurav Gogoi’s wife’s alleged Pakistani links, which the CM recently decided to hand over to a central agency. With the elections approaching, this “cleric photo row” has become the latest flashpoint in the bitter BJP-Congress rivalry.