SHILLONG, Dec 16: Asserting that it will continue its fight against corruption, the state unit of the BJP on Wednesday said its demand for a CBI probe into alleged graft in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) still stands.
“We are not silent but waiting for the right time. Our stand is very clear. We want a CBI investigation into charges of corruption in both councils, especially the GHADC. The CBI probe is imperative given the alleged involvement of some officers in corruption,” state BJP chief, Ernest Mawrie, said.
He said the BJP’s two members of district councils (MDCs) had filed a writ petition in the Meghalaya High Court against alleged corruption in the JHADC and they were awaiting the court’s order. Some employees’ associations of the GHADC had also filed a case in the Lokayukta, he said.
“We are waiting for the decisions of the Lokayukta as well as the High Court,” Mawrie said.
Asserting that their central leadership is serious about corruption, he said the BJP, despite being an ally of Bodoland People’s Front in Assam, had gone all out against the party on the issue in the recently-held Bodoland Territorial Council elections.
“Although we are a constituent of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, yet we took up the corruption issue. We will continue in the MDA but we can’t be silent on corruption,” Mawrie said.
He said the state BJP had taken up the matter of corruption based on RTI findings and certified copies received following queries and not relying on some pieces of papers picked up from the street.
) “We have a legal cell and we studied the matter before raising it,” he said.
Mawrie said the BJP had filed an RTI application in connection with alleged corruption in the Power department and although one month has elapsed, it has not yet received the reply. The BJP sought details on how the state government was implementing the Saubhagya and other schemes in the MeECL.
Mawrie said it was the duty of the state government to work out a strategy to bring funds and pay the pending salaries of the employees of MeECL, GHADC besides teachers and muster roll workers.
“I think there is leakage of revenue or else, why is there so much of debts that they cannot pay salaries,” he added.
BJP takes note of extortion charge against CM
The state BJP will raise the issue of alleged involvement of the chief minister’s family and his close relatives in illegal collection of toll from coal-laden trucks in Garo Hills.
“I have seen the reports and have asked party leaders in Garo Hills to enquire about the matter and if it is true we will have to do something,” Mawrie said.
It may be recalled that Congress Spokesperson Zenith Sangma had accused Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s brother-in-law, Sanjay A Sangma, of indulging in extortion from coal-laden trucks plying through NH-62.