BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Sunday asked Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi to clarify the charges of RTI activist Akhil Gogoi or step down.
Addressing a large public rally of the NDA against corruption, Mr Gadkari started his speech by referring to his meeting with RTI activist Akhil Gogoi.
He said, “Mr Gogoi had come to meet me and showed me the photographs of houses owned by the chief minister’s family members in the US.”
Taking a dig at the Assam chief minister on the corruption issue, Mr Gadkari said, “The Congress leaders of Assam seem to have been racing with their Central leaders and decided to out smart them in corruption.”
The BJP president said, “If the charges of RTI activist Akhil Gogoi is based on facts, it also reflects the character of chief minister Tarun Gogoi who claims to have love for the people of Assam but looting their share to invest abroad.”
RTI activist Akhil Gogoi on Sunday claimed that Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has several houses in the US in the names of his wife Dolly Gogoi (12700 W Dodge Road, Omaha NE 69154), daughter Chandrima Gogoi (701 Berry Ave, Los Angeles CA 94024) and son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan (178 Ownes Ct Mountain View CA 94043; 143 Albany St, Cambridge MA 02139 and Los Altos CA 94022).
Presenting documents and photographs supporting his contention, the RTI activist said, “The value of these houses, when added together, would be `17,88,45,050.” While acquiring the property, his daughter had declared an average annual income of `64,42,650 and her husband Prasenjit Phukan had made three declarations stating that his average annual incomes were `64,42,650, `34,36,050 and `72,71,250.
The chief minister’s wife Dolly Gogoi declared that her average annual income was `29,18,650.
Mr Gogoi claimed that many of the non-resident Indians from Assam helped him in getting the photographs but he took the help of a professional website in collecting some of the information on value of these assets when it were bought. The help of NRIs was necessary to get these information as the American embassy had refused to help in getting the information, said Mr Gogoi.