NEW DELHI,� June �17 � Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today blasted the opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), challenging that he is willing to not only resign from the chief ministership but also quit politics, if Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) finds anything against him.
Upset with the direct attack on him by the Opposition AGP in the North Cachar Hills scandal, the Chief Minister took on the regional party by pointing to the alleged involvement of former chief minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta in the LoC scam.
In the same breath, he sought to blunt the Opposition�s attack by warning that no officials or politicians found guilty would go unpunished.
The Chief Minister welcomed the CBI�s raids on the accused and seizure of Rs 14 crore, and described it as �good recovery�. �We are not going to protect anyone and we will extend all possible help,� he assured.
The Opposition is trying to blame me without any reason. How could the CBI conduct an investigation, if we had not given the permission to conduct the probe. �It is I who constituted Justice R K Manisana Singh Commission of inquiry in June 2008 to probe the nexus between DHD (J) militants and ASDC-led council whether funds were misappropriated.�
Before the National Investigation Agency�s crackdown, the State Government acting on the direction of the Chief Minister moved Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) fpr a special audit of the accounst of NCHAC in face of the large scale financial irregularities.
�I had even instructed the Cheif Secretary to refer the matter to the CBI on receipt of report from CAG,� he said.
Training his guns on the AGP, Gogoi said that the same party, however, kept mum when Mahanata was involved in LoC scandal. The CBI found prima facie evidence against Mahanta though the Governor refused permission to the CBI citing technical grounds. �If Mahanta is innocent, why is he afraid to get an acquittal from the court�? The Chief Minister asked.
Till today neither the CBI nor NIA has named any minister or MLA, he asserted.
Taking a pot shot at the opposition, Gogoi said they do not have any issue . He then went on to refer to the outcome of the recent election to the three autonomous councils. The Opposition have been loosing each and every election,� he contended.
Stating that a white paper would be presented in the Assembly on the achievement of successive Congress governments, he said AGP has belittled the contribution of respected leaders like Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, Bimala Prasad Chaliha and Sarat Chandra Sinha among others.
About AUDF, Gogoi ruled out any possibility of alliance but said Congress still stood by its stated stand of merger of Ajmal�s party with Congress.
�Today nobody is a threat to me,� he said replying to a question about the opposition joining hands to defeat the Congress.
