SHILLONG, Nov 17: Breaking their silence after an initial outburst, the state BJP has approached the Meghalaya Lokayukta over the alleged misappropriation of central funds in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
Party sources informed that a complaint has been filed before the Meghalaya Lokayukta over the alleged corruption in the two autonomous district councils.
The sources, on the request of anonymity, revealed that the state party leaders are in touch with the BJP leadership in New Delhi which has asked the state unit to file more RTIs in connection with centrally sponsored schemes.
In addition, the sources also disclosed that the party would approach the judiciary seeking necessary instructions for a CBI probe into the matter.
A team from BJP Meghalaya was all set to visit the national capital to discuss the corruption issues in the state with the central leadership but the plan was cancelled owing to rising COVID cases in the national capital, the sources further informed.
On the other hand, some state BJP leaders have maintained that they were still waiting for the NPP-led MDA Government to invite the BJP for discussions on the corruption issues raised by the party.
“We have not got any response from any channel so far,” the BJP leaders said while adding that the MDA coordination committee has not invited them for discussions probably since “they are not ready with all the clarifications”.
Prior to the Autumn Session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, NPP state president WR Kharlukhi had stated that the MDA coordination committee will discuss the issues raised by the state BJP, an ally of the ruling disposition, after the end of the session.
Even Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had also confirmed that the MDA coordination committee meeting will be held after the Assembly session and Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma, who is the chairperson of the committee, will fix the date for the proposed meeting.
It is noteworthy that the State BJP had earlier alleged corruption amounting to crores of rupees sanctioned under the Special Assistance Grant in the JHADC and GHADC and while the BJP is unrelenting in its demand for a CBI probe, the state government on the other hand has ordered an audit of the GHADC for five years starting from 2015.
