Guwahati, Oct. 4: Assam irrigation minister Ranjit Dutta today said he would lodge a written complaint to the BJP leadership against the party's Tezpur MP Ram Prasad Sharma for making 'baseless' allegations of corruption.

A local news channel yesterday aired a video claiming it to be a sting operation in which a person it said was Sharma alleged that Dutta and other ministers of the BJP-led state government were involved in corruption.

Sharma, however, denied making any such statement, claiming the video was 'manipulated'.

Assam agriculture minister Atul Bora and water resources minister Keshab Mahanta today wrote to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal seeking an inquiry into the alleged claims made by Sharma about corruption.

According to the channel, Sharma allegedly claimed that barring PWD, fisheries and excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya, all other ministers are involved in corruption, particularly Bora and Mahanta (both from the AGP) and public health engineering minister Rihon Daimary (BPF). The AGP and BPF are coalition partners of the BJP.

'I dare Sharma to prove the allegations he levelled against me. I spoke to him yesterday but he could not give any satisfactory reply,' Dutta said today.

'Sharma seems to have lost his mental balance and become frustrated. His irresponsible and baseless utterances will affect the party and the state government,' he said.

This is not the first time allegations of corruption have been levelled against Dutta. Secretary of irrigation department, Kujendra Doley, who was caught taking a bribe from a contractor in March, had claimed that he had taken money on behalf of Dutta.

In the video, Sharma allegedly says that Dutta takes bribes from contractors for allocating work. Sharma also said most ministers were demanding a 10 per cent cut on a particular contract.

Bora and Mahanta, in their letter to the chief minister, said a thorough probe should be conducted to ascertain the authenticity of the video as the alleged claims made by Sharma created doubt and suspicion in the minds of the people and put a question mark over the government's zero tolerance policy towards corruption.

Cong demand

The Congress today demanded that outgoing governor Banwarilal Purohit take stern action against cabinet ministers against whom allegations of corruption were levelled by Sharma. The Congress also demanded registration of cases against the ministers.

'Sarbananda Sonowal always talks about zero tolerance against corruption but now a member of his own party has made allegations of corruption against his cabinet colleagues. We demand immediate sacking of these ministers,' PCC general secretary and spokesperson Durga Das Boro said.

He pointed out that before Sharma, Dispur BJP legislator Atul Bora and BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary had brought allegations of corruption against the state government but till now no action has been taken. He alleged that many ministers were executing contracts through their ( benami) firms or those of their relatives.

Sonowal today said his government will never compromise with corruption. 'If Sharma has any proof against any minister, he should give it to us, we will take action, he said.

The BJP has convened a meeting of state office-bearers here on Saturday to discuss the allegations made by Sharma and for other organisational matters.