Garo Hills BJP MDC faces nepotism, graft allegations

SHILLONG: Bhupen Hajong, the only BJP member in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, has been accused of misutilising his office and power by practising nepotism in commissioning projects under the Special Central Assistance schemes.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the A’chik Indigenous Justice Initiative Forum (AIJIF) said the MDC from Mahendraganj in South West Garo Hills allotted public projects to his relatives including nephew Anup Hajong, sister-in-law Pupita Hajong and wife Poluma Hajong. His relatives further delegated the works to sub-contractors as they had no experience to handle the projects. “But after completion of the work, none of the sub-contractors were paid. Initially these sub-contractors were paid meagre amounts… These sub contractors completed the work borrowing money on interest from local money lenders,” the statement alleged.
Another allegation that has been levelled against Hajong is that he duplicated the work order of an already completed project worth Rs 77 lakh.
Hajong, meanwhile, rubbished the claims and said those accusing him of misutilising his office knew nothing about funding and how things work. “This is a political game as I am the only BJP MDC in the Council,” Hajong said.