Guwahati: The BJP on Tuesday claimed that the inquiry committee's report on the ‘cash-for-jobs’ scam in Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has exposed the "massive corruption" under the then Congress government headed by Tarun Gogoi.
The reports of the Justice (retd) B K Sharma Commission, which probed the anomalies in the conduct of APSC's Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2013 and 2014, were laid in the assembly on Monday.
Those have named former APSC chairman Rakesh Paul as the ‘mastermind’, while also raising questions on the process of appointment of the tainted official during Gogoi’s tenure. Over 70 people have so far been arrested in this connection.
The Congress has welcomed the reports, and called for a thorough investigation into its findings, maintaining that former CM Gogoi was not involved in any corruption.
State BJP president Dilip Saikia described the late Tarun Gogoi as the "kingpin of corruption", demanding stringent action against all accused mentioned in the report.
Addressing a press conference here, Saikia said, “The Justice (Retd) BK Sharma Commission report has exposed the massive corruption during Congress rule under former chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Our allegation that an entire generation of students lost out on opportunity due to this corruption has been proved true.”
He maintained that the observations of the Commission and testimonies recorded before it proved that Congress and corruption are "two sides of the same coin".
“Tarun Gogoi was the kingpin of corruption and the Congress must now answer the people. The party must come out with a white paper explaining its position,” Saikia asserted. The BJP state president also urged the state government to take stringent action against those named in the reports.
Meanwhile, Raijor Dal chief and MLA Akhil Gogoi, whose name along with former colleague Kamal Kumar Medhi’s name featured in a testimony of one of the accused, claimed no involvement in the scam.
Medhi, however, is now in the ruling BJP. In the statement recorded before the Commission, one of the accused alleged that a bribe of Rs 3 lakh was received by Medhi on behalf of Akhil Gogoi.
“As per the report of the investigation agency of APSC Scam, it has been mentioned that BJP leader Kamal Kumar Medhi had taken a bribe of Rs 3 lakhs in my name. Kamal Kumar Medhi should publicly clarify on this matter,” Akhil Gogoi, an MLA, posted on X.
Gogoi and Medhi were leaders of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), with Raijor Dal being the political offshoot of the organisation. Raijor Dal, in a press statement, said the findings of the Justice (Retd) Sharma Commission’s reports proved the allegations of corruption in APSC that the KMSS had raised long ago.
On the charge of Akhil Gogoi receiving a bribe through Medhi, it maintained that the KMSS had launched a series of agitations against corruption in APSC from June 5, 2015, during which Gogoi was arrested also. “If we had accepted money from Paul, our party could not have carried out such sustained movement against him,” the Raijor Dal claimed.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Bedabrata Borah said if any appointment was made by flouting rules during 2013-14, investigation should be initiated and action taken against such persons.
Borah also alleged that it was Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who had close ties with Paul. He further claimed that a former BJP legislator, whose name had emerged in the scam, does not find mention in the report.
"The reports were not made public for nearly three years. And now with one year to go for the state elections, the BJP is trying to gain political points through it," the spokesperson added.
