GUWAHATI, July 4: Regional party Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has demanded a CBI investigation into the procurement, custody, distribution and subsequent sale or “disappearance” of Gir cows under the Garukhuti Multipurpose Agricultural Project, launched in the state four years back.
AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan have, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also urged for a forensic audit of subsidy disbursements and financial records of all involved entities of the project under which 300 Gir cows were procured from Gujarat through a MoU signed between the Assam government and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) on January 7, 2022.
“These cows were meant to benefit local farmers and promote rural dairy development. However, serious allegations have now come to light with 90 Gir cows going missing after arriving at Rangla railway station on April 2-3, 2022,” the AJP leaders stated.
“An RTI inquiry, media reports and self-contradictory statements of the concerned public representatives point to criminal misappropriation, corruption, and conflict of interest involving a Cabinet minister and his spouse’s company, which allegedly received 20 of the missing cows,” they stated.
“The company in question, JMB Aqua Agro Pvt. Ltd., reportedly received over Rs 50 lakh in government subsidies, while its sudden spike in assets and profits coincided with the cow procurement period. Conflicting statements by the chief minister and the project chairman have only deepened public suspicion and eroded trust,” the party leaders stated.
“Media investigations and RTI findings indicate a diversion of government livestock meant for the poor into private hands-an act that is not only corrupt but also desecrates the cultural sanctity of the cow in our society,” they stated.
