GUWAHATI, Feb 9 � The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today called upon the Governor JB Patnaik to stop the ruling party from misusing the Government machinery during the ensuing elections to the Assam Legislative Assembly. The party also demanded that the Governor should instruct the Chief Minister to drop the Ministers suspected to be involved in the financial scam in North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to pave the way for impartial probe.
A delegation of the AGP today met the Governor at the Raj Bhawan and alleged that the government machinery was being used for the benefit of the ruling party and the members of the Opposition parties were being harassed. Even false cases were registered against some members of the Opposition parties, the AGP alleged.
Talking to The Assam Tribune after the meeting with the Governor, AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary said that the AGP raised the issue of release of as many as 96 criminals serving life sentence in parole by the Government and expressed fear that they might be used by the ruling party during the elections.
The AGP sought the intervention of the Governor on the financial scam in NC Hills and demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should be asked to probe into all the irregularities and the Ministers suspected to be involved should be dropped. "We told the Governor that we stalled the proceedings of the last session of the assembly and even disrupted the Governor's speech because of the fact that the government failed to take any step to check corruption," Patowary added.
The AGP also requested the Governor to take up the demands for more powers to the states and constitutional protection for Assam with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The AGP president was accompanied by Leader of the Opposition Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Working president of the party, Phani Bhushan Choudhury and vice president of AGP, Pradeep Hazarika.
