With less than 10 months to go for the next Assembly elections, the AGP and the BJP has decided to grill the Gogoi government on corruption issues that is also proving to be the biggest crowd-puller for the Opposition political parties in Assam.
The recovery of Rs 14 crores from the house of a junior engineer by CBI in connection with the Rs 1,000-crore scam of North Cachar Autonomous Hills district has added ammo to their arsenal to fire at the ruling Congress government.
The saffron party, which intends to play a key role in the state’s politics, has already taken a formal decision in this regard at its state executive and office-bearers' meeting on Saturday to grill the Gogoi government on corruption issue, besides launching a campaign to expose the disproportionate assets of ministers in the state.
The in-charge of Northeast in the BJP, Mr P. Chandrasekhar, said that the party was determined to expose the corrupt Congress government of the state.
The Opposition Asom Gana Parishad has also started to mount pressure on New Delhi to probe the assets of ministers and serious charges of corruption against the ruling party. Former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Friday sought the intervention of the Central government to ensure a free and fair probe by the CBI into the multi-crore rupee North Cachar Hill scam.
Mr Mahanta, who submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Union home minister on Friday, also demanded that the CBI should be given liberty to probe the complete scam. The move of Mr Mahanta was based on the report of this newspaper which on Friday revealed that how limited mandate has been given to the CBI for probing the multi-crore rupee scam.
Mr Mahanta further alleged that during the raid on the relative of the prime accused, a list containing names of seven ministers of Mr Gogoi’s council of ministry, besides top officials, has been seized by the CBI. This proves that high-ups in the Gogoi government was involved in the scam, he charged.
Mr Mahanta said that he was demanding proper investigation in the scam that is believed to have crossed Rs 1,000 crores. "The CBI should be allowed to investigate without any political interference,” he added.
He accused that there has been fear that a scam of the same magnitude has taken place in the Karbi Anglong District Autonomous Council.
He further alleged that a massive misappropriation of Central government funds granted under PMGRY is going on. In the name of building of roads in rural areas, massive corruption is taking place.
Mr Mahanta said that the ruling Congress government was enjoying the fruits of the seeds that the AGP had sown.