TURA, Jan 4: Controversy has erupted after a letterhead belonging to the NPP legislator of Siju-Rongara and current Chairman of the Meghalaya State Health Advisory Board, Rakkam A Sangma, surfaced on social media where it apparently displays names of candidates recommended by him for various posts of the District Selection Committee in South Garo Hills district.
The government allotted official letterhead of the legislator has recommended four candidates names for the Grade-IV posts, two candidates for Forest Guards, two candidates for Lower Divisional Assistant (LDA) posts, a candidate for the plumber post and even a laboratory assistant.
With the letterhead having the seal of the national emblem- the Lion capital of Ashoka, the post went viral throughout the day and set tongues wagging.
Recommendations of candidates names by legislators is not something new and the most infamous was the white ink controversy for teachers posts that had recommendations of several legislators from both Khasi and Garo Hills region. That case is currently under a CBI investigation.
In this current case revolving around the Siju-Rongara legislator, the MLA has dismissed it as fake and goes on to say that details mentioned in the letterhead are incorrect.
“First of all, the letterhead does not even have my signature and seal, nor is it addressed to any district authority. All legislators keep these letter pads in our offices and every day we have streams of people coming in to meet us. I am certain that someone has taken this letter pad with an intention to malign me politically,” claims Siju-Rongara legislator Rakkam A Sangma while speaking to The Shillong Times on Tuesday evening.
He further goes on to mention that the DSC results were declared last week and none of the names mentioned in the letter pad are listed in the result sheet.
“The two names for LDA as claimed to have been recommended by me in the doctored letter pad are not even in the final result list. The fake letterhead even claims I have recommended names for Gram Sevika, Lab assistant, forest Guard and Plumber posts but the truth is that the DSC has not even advertised for these positions nor called for any exam to be conducted. This is open knowledge to everyone,” clarifies legislator Rakkam A Sangma.
However, the legislator has desisted from filing a police FIR over this controversy terming it as nothing short of a political attempt to malign his image in the light of the 2023 assembly elections.