India, Oct. 10 -- A day of political buzz unfolded in Assam on Friday after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly declared that he owns no property beyond his official salary, prompting a sharp rebuttal from a journalist who pointed to his steadily growing assets as recorded in Election Commission of India (ECI) affidavits.

Speaking to reporters in Dibrugarh, Sarma had said his financial life was an open book. "I don't have property at all. My wife works for her wellbeing - she does not steal or take anything unlawfully. If someone is earning honestly, then what is the issue? Apart from my salary, I do not have anything," the Chief Minister stated.

Sarma's remarks came amid renewed scrutiny of politicians' personal finances, with ...