Rijiju alleges Rahul Gandhi asked Pawan Kheda to make false allegations against Himanta Biswa Sarma

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had asked party spokesperson Pawan Kheda to make "false allegations" against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma during the final phase of the Assam Assembly election. Rijiju claimed that two senior Congress leaders had informed him of the alleged instruction.

Rijiju further alleged that Kheda was rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat after the allegations "backfired." Taking to social media, Rijiju stated that Kheda was given the seat "as a prize" despite his "indiscipline." The allegation came a day after a verbal exchange between Rijiju and Kheda over a video of the Union minister swimming in a river in Arunachal Pradesh, during which Kheda had criticized Rijiju for frequently mentioning Gandhi's name.