GUWAHATI, Aug 17 - Criticising the State government over the way the entire investigation and legal matters relating to the APSC scam have been handled, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today hinted that there may be an effort to save former chairman of the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) Rakesh Paul, who was granted default bail yesterday by the Supreme Court.
�Chargesheet was not filed on time. So Paul got bail. So who is responsible?� Gogoi wondered, addressing a press conference here today.
Asked if there may be a deliberate attempt by the government to save Paul, Gogoi said that it may indeed me the case.
�They may want to save him. And why have they not been able to arrest others? For example, why are the killers of Lafiqul Islam still at large? Either they are not wilfully catching culprits or it is due to the incompetence of the government. Even RH Khan has now got bail,� he said.
Regarding his continued occupation of the State Guest House at Koinadhara, Gogoi said, �I want to vacate it, but the government has to give me an alternative accommodation. If an alternative accommodation is ready today, I will shift today itself. After resigning as Chief Minister, I had wanted to shift to my own house, but the security people prevented me citing security concerns. Now they have allotted me a house in the Janata Bhavan complex but the boundary wall there is not ready, nor the quarters of the security personnel.�
He also opposed the State government�s decision to close down Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok and convert it to a State Guest House-cum-convention centre.
