Congress demands probe into govt recruitments during BJP rule in Assam

Source:-https://www.outlookindia.com

Guwahati, Oct 16 (PTI) The Congress on Friday demanded an enquiry by a sitting judge of the Gauhati High Court into all the recruitments to various departments of the Assam government during the four-and-half years of BJP rule in the state.
Leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, accused the ruling party of operating a “recruitment syndicate”.

Adherence to a particular ideology or payment of bribes to specific middlemen were the means to secure jobs during the tenure of the incumbent state government, he said in a statement.

Saikia said some middlemen and a couple of former and serving police officers have been arrested in connection with the sub-inspector recruitment examination paper leak but the police has not been able to “muster courage” to question other suspects as they enjoy “political protection”.

It is clear the recruitment scam is all-pervasive and has been going on for quite some time because admit cards of other recruitment examinations have been seized from the middlemen.

Referring to reports that Rs 5 crore was recovered from accused middlemen in Goalpara and Dhubri districts, Saikia said the police has deliberately refrained from trying to find out the number of candidates who had paid the bribes.

He alleged the actual amount of money recovered has been kept under the wraps due to political intervention and that money may have already by misappropriated.

Referring to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal”s frequent claims of zero-tolerance for corruption and providing a clean administration, the Congress leader said he should respect the faith reposed in him by the people and there should be a judicial probe into the paper leak.

Saikia said the Congress has been repeatedly raising the issue of illegal trade in mineral resources such as coal and had demanded a CBI enquiry into the matter but the government did not pay any heed to it.

As a result, trucks laden with contraband coal and other goods were entering the Barak Valley even now under the patronage of BJP leaders and the assistance of local officials, he said.

Saikia alleged the state government had not implemented an order passed by the Gauhati High Court in October last year for the formation of a Mines and Minerals Task Force Battalion to curb illegal trade in mineral resources.

“The Task Force was supposed to be set up within three months, but nothing has been done even after a year has elapsed because the government wants to be free to operate this illegal trade,” he said.

Saikia urged Sonowal to implement the High Court”s order without further delay. PTI DG ACD ACD