The Asom Gana Parishad here on Monday demanded that Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi should step down owning the moral responsibility of the `1,000-crore scam unearthed by the Comptroller and Auditor General in its special audit report of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council.
The CAG special audit report came to focus on November 22 for the first time when this newspaper published the detailed findings of the CAG investigation which was carried out at the directive of the home ministry.
AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary, accusing Mr Gogoi of misleading the people of the state by making false statements to cover up the scam, said, “A scam of such magnitude can not take place without the approval of the chief minister who is also holding the finance portfolio since 2001.”
He also cited the statement of Mr Gogoi in the Assam Assembly that his government has released only `151 crores to the NC Hills Autonomous Council which was acting as an exit route for siphoning off the government fund. The CAG in its special audit found that more than `411 crores was sent to the N C Hills in 26 months only that too for eight out of 30 departments.
Asserting that nothing less than the resignation of the chief minister would satisfy them, Mr Patowary said, “We are hoping that Mr Gogoi who boasts off being honest and running a transparent government would respond to CAG findings by owning up moral responsibility.”
Flashing the copy of newspapers and CAG reports, Mr Patowary escorted by senior party leaders Hiten Goswami, Zoii Nath Sarma and Jagadish Bhuyan told reporters, “Mr Gogoi wanted evidence of scam. The CAG report has made it clear. Now it is his turn to confess the crime which he has been committing on people of Assam by disseminating false information.”
Referring to the remark of chief minister in New Delhi that he has not seen the CAG report, Mr Patowary said, “Now we can make available the copy of the report to him.”
The AGP president also pointed out that former union telecom minister A. Raja was asked to resign on the basis of CAG report only.
“Why can’t Mr Gogoi resign to facilitate an impartial investigation in to the scam,” said Mr Patowary clarifying that N C Hills scam is the tips of an iceberg, let their be an investigation in all the districts, present government would emerge as one of the most corrupt governments of the country. (EOM)