Guwahati, July 16: Chief minister Tarun Gogoi today told the Assembly that the state government would recommend a CBI inquiry into the financial anomalies in the Mising Autonomous Council.
The chief minister made the statement on the floor of the House during a discussion on the white paper tabled by the government on development and growth-oriented work carried out between 2001 and 2010.
There have been allegations of largescale irregularities and corruption in the council and there were instances of the chief executive member and executive members withdrawing funds by giving receipts on blank paper, in clear violation of financial rules.
The principal secretary of the council, Gargaram Pegu, was arrested from Mangaldoi on March 8 this year and a bag containing more than Rs 16 lakh was found in his possession.
Independent MLA Bhuban Pegu had demanded a CBI probe into the corruption and misuse of funds in the council since its formation in 1995.
On the Opposition’s demand to widen the ambit of the CBI probe to include the Rs 1,000-crore scam in the Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, Gogoi said he had no problem with the CBI investigating all the departments of the council since 1996.
Gogoi also gave details of the development work carried out by his government in the past nine years, compared to the five-year rule of the previous AGP government led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.
The chief minister also criticised the previous AGP government for financial mismanagement, pushing the state to the brink of bankruptcy.
“During the AGP’s tenure, the state was in an intensive care unit (ICU),” he said.
Gogoi also launched an attack on Mahanta, saying he was the first chief minister in the country against whom the CBI had sought the governor’s sanction for prosecution.
Mahanta protested saying the chief minister was misleading the House, as the governor denied prosecution sanction to the CBI.
The court later upheld the governor’s decision.
Protesting against Gogoi’s remarks, Mahanta staged a walkout in the Assembly.
Altogether five bills were passed in the Assembly today.
These bills were The Assam Agricultural Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2010, The Assam Electricity Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2010, The Assam State Vigilance Commission Bill, 2010, The Assam Women (Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts) (Amendment) Bill, 2010 and The Assam Mobile Theatre (Regulation and Artists’ Welfare Fund) Bill, 2010.
The Assam Agricultural Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2010 seeks to enhance the rate of Minimum Alternative Tax to 18 per cent from the existing 10 per cent.
