Guwahati: Taking strong exception to a rights leader's claim that Tarun Gogoi's wife, daughter and son-in-law owned five houses in the US, the Assam chief minister today said he will file defamation and criminal cases against the activist.
"In forty years of my political career, there has never been such baseless allegation against me. One of the photos is of my son-in-law's hostel building in Massachusetts Institute of Technology in USA where he studied. The rest are photos of houses he had rented there," the chief minister told reporters here.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi had alleged on Saturday that Gogoi's wife Dolly, their daughter and son-in-law acquired five houses in the US valued at Rs 17.18 crore with public money.
"My wife and daughter are not in politics. Why is Akhil dragging in their names? My wife can never own a house in the US as Indians are not allowed to buy property there. She will go to jail," he said.
Referring to BJP leaders L K Advani and Nitin Gadkari who had asked him yesterday to protest Akhil's allegations if they were false, Gogoi said, "Even Advani and Gadkari didn't believe in Akhil's claim. Else why will they ask me to file a defamation case against Akhil?"
Noting that his wife would file an an FIR and criminal and civil cases within a day or two, Gogoi said, "Then I will file a defamation case against Gogoi."
He said when the Adarsh Housing scam created such a furore, allegation of him owning five houses in the US would have had unprecedented reaction at the national level.
