GUWAHATI, Feb 2 � Opposition parties today made it clear that they would continue with their agitation �inside and outside� the State Assembly unless their demands on the multi-crore rupee NC Hills Autonomous Council scam are met.
The leaders of the Opposition legislature parties announced this at a joint press conference at the Asom Gana Parishad Legislature Party (AGPLP) office here today after the adjournment of the House by the Speaker following the uproar from the Opposition Bench.
Leader of the Opposition Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that the Opposition has been demanding removal of the Ministers alleged to be involved in the NC Hills scam and handing over of all the 30 departments of the Autonomous Council to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for inquiry.
Until these two demands are met, there will be no full stop to the Opposition agitation inside as well as outside the Assembly, said the Leader of the Opposition.
Criticizing the State Government for its failure to hand over all the departments of the Hills Council to the CBI and to remove the Ministers who are allegedly involved in the scam, Mahanta said that the Opposition has been raising this demands for the greater interest of the people of the State.
Ananta Deka (CPI-M) said that non-settlement of the issues connected with the NC Hills scam would have serious impacts on the future of the State�s people. The Opposition has only been echoing the wishes of the common man in the House, Deka said.
Dr Aditya Langthasa (AIUDF) said that since June 22, 2007, an allocation of Rs 2,910 crore has been made to both the districts of Karbi Anglong and NC Hills through a single window system under State Plan, Central Plan etc. The process of releasing the above amount arouses doubts.
The State Government has deliberately kept the Hills Planning Board, which is headed by the Chief Minister, virtually defunct for the past five years. In fact, this Board is the authority to plan the developmental, etc, projects in the Hills districts. But for the past five years, no meeting of the Board has been held, alleged Dr Langthasa.
He also alleged that the present Government is involved in anti-tribal and anti-minority activities. Under it communal clashes are taking place in the tribal and minority dominated areas of the State, alleged the AIUDF legislator.
The AIUDF legislator also demanded inquiry into all the tribal autonomous councils of the State alleging that the money allocated to all these councils have been plundered. The NC Hills scam is only a tip of the iceberg, he said.
Bhuban Pegu (Independent) described the NC Hills scam as the largest of all the scams that took place in the post-Independence era Assam.
Chandra Mohan Patowary (AGP) said that the Chief Minister was haunted by a fear of being exposed if all the 30 departments of the NCHAC are handed over to the CBI for inquiry and the Ministers allegedly involved in the Autonomous Council scam are dropped from the Ministry.
He dared the Chief Minister to set an example by stepping down in accordance with All India Congress Committee president and ruling UPA chairman Sonia Gandhi�s statement that there would be no tolerance to corruption.
