In a significant development, Assam BJP president Ranjit Dutta and in-charge of the party affairs in the state Vijay Goel have sought prosecution sanction from Assam governor J.B. Patnaik to file cases against seven ministers of the Gogoi Cabinet for their alleged involvement of `1,000-crore NC Hills scam in Assam.
The BJP delegation, which submitted a formal request letter, has sought permission to implicate health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, forest and tourism minister Rockybul Hussain, social welfare minister Akon Bora, PWD minister Ajanta Neog, Hills area development minister Khorsing Ingti and Panchayat and rural development minister Chandan Brahma in the scam.
Referring to the report of the National Investigation Agency published in the newspapers in February 2010, the BJP leaders pointed out that involvement of these ministers is suspected but the state government has not asked the CBI to probe their role into the scam. The BJP team told the governor that Congress MP Dip Gogoi, MLA G.C. Langthasa, former governor Lt. Gen. Ajai Singh (Retd) and some bureaucrats were also involved. The BJP leaders said special audit of the accountant-general has also revealed massive misappropriation of the fund but the state government has not given mandate to the CBI to probe the role of ministers. “The CAG report has pointed out serious discrepancies in the budget of the Assam government,” the team told the governor.
In fact, charges of massive corruption in the state has almost been established by the CAG report,” the delegation told the governor.