The Opposition parties of Assam, cutting across the party lines, on Wednesday demanded CBI investigation in all the departments of North Cachar Hills district. They also demanded that ministers alleged to have been involved into the scam should be brought to book.
The Leader of the Opposition, Chandra Mohan Patowary, told reporters, “Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had rejected the demand of the CBI enquiry into N.C. Hills scam claiming that it was not required. As under the pressure of the Opposition political parties of the state, Prime Minister and Union home minister intervened and CBI enquiry could be ordered.”
“Now recovery of Rs 13.45 crores in cash from the house of one of the accused of the N.C. Hills scam, has concluded that the Assam chief minister was trying to shield the scam and scamsters by opposing the CBI probe.”
He pointed out that nexus between the accused official and Assam ministers is no longer a secret.
“His political clout could be known by the facts that a junior officer of the N.C. Hills district council was given six PSOs by the government,” he said, adding that claim of Mr Gogoi of all-round development and corruption-free government stands exposed.
Mr Patowary said, “If this recovery is any indicator, the Gogoi government was developing the state in files only, in fact real development was taking place in the garage from where CBI recovered cash on Tuesday.”
The Assam BJP has also demanded that Mr Gogoi should come clean by asking the CBI to probe scams in all the departments of N.C. Hills as the CBI has been asked to probe the cases in five departments only.
Accusing that this would emerge one of the largest scam of the country, Assam BJP president Ranjit Dutta told reporters, “Recovery of such huge amount of cash from a deputy director rank officer makes it amply clear that how much money might have gone as share to ministers who were acting as patron to him.”
He said, “N C Hills scam is only the tips of an iceberg, let their be probe in all the departments of the Assam government, the ruling Congress government will not have the face-saving space.” The exorbitant wealth of ministers and officers stand testimony to the charges, said Mr Dutta demanding that CBI should be given liberty to probe entire scam in free and fair manner. (EOM)