With the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad seeking the resignation of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi for indictment of his government by CAG in to the financial mismanagement of North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, the issue has started rocking the political scenario of the state.
The findings of special audit report of the CAG, which came to light on November 22 for the first time when this newspaper published the report, has also provoked the BJP, which demanded a judicial probe by a sitting justice of the Supreme Court.
The Northeast secretary of the BJP, Mr P. Chandrashekhar, in a statement to this newspaper, said, “The CAG report published by the newspaper has vindicated our stand on involvement of the Gogoi government. We hereby demand that disproportionate assets of Assam ministers whose name figured in the media reports for their involvement in the NC Hills scam should also by probed.” He also demanded that accounts of the NC Hills should be examined since 2001.
Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has sharply reacted to charges of AGP leaders, saying that he would quit politics if former chief minister and AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta can prove the charges of his involvement in the NC Hills scam.
Mr Mahanta, however, referring to the report in this newspaper, clarified that Mr Gogoi was trying to divert the issue by twisting his statement on the scam. “We do not know if chief minister is also involved into the scam but the CAG special audit report published by the newspaper has, of course, made it clear that the Assam government has been indicted by the CAG which was ordered by the home ministry. We want a high-level impartial investigation to probe the role of political leaders of the state into the scam,” Mr Mahanta said, adding that newspapers of the state have been raking up this issue for past several months so what was the reason that the government was sitting over the special audit report of the CAG.
Moreover, the CAG audited reports pertained to the 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010 period and checked only eight of the 30 departments.
“What would be magnitude of the scam if all the departments since 2001 are covered by audit?” he asked.
Mr Mahanta argued that the Central government too has a responsibility to see that the scam is thoroughly investigated. It was a special audit conducted by the CAG after the scam came to light. Describing the CAG report as explosive, he alleged that the report has also indicated that state government was not cooperating in making available the records for a conclusive investigation in to the scam.