BJP threatens to pull out of NPP-led govt in Meghalaya

The BJP Wednesday threatened to pull out of the National People's Party-led government in Meghalaya over alleged corrupt practices in the implementation of the multi-crore special assistant grant to the tribal autonomous councils here.

The party, which is also part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, has also demanded a CBI inquiry into what it alleged is a scam in the implementation of the SAG funds.

"It is very unfortunate that the SAG funds meant for the development of areas under the two ADCs - Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) - have been misused by the ruling party i.e. the NPP. There is blatant corruption in the two ADCs," BJP state president Ernest Mawrie said.

"We demand that the NPP executive committees in these two ADCs stop such activities else we may consider options of pulling out of the coalition," he said.

BJP, he said, favours an inquiry by CBI into the irregularities and corrupt practices.

According to the state BJP chief over Rs 20 crore of SAG development fund have been diverted for payment of salaries of employees in JHADC violating the guidelines.

In GHADC a documentary project costing Rs 5.82 crore was allotted without any tender or bidding for supplying of information, education and communication (IEC) materials to the Council, he said.

The work for the IEC project was handed over to a relative of the wife of Power Minister James P K Sangma and is being carried out by an officer attached to the chief minister's office, Maurie claimed.

"In the light of these irregularities and misuse of the SAG funds, I have already written to the Centre for instituting a CBI inquiry into the whole issue and to punish the culprits as per law, the BJP chief here said.

Of the Rs 1,000 crore sanctioned by the Centre to ADCs in the Northeast region during 2015-16, the KHADC has received Rs 133.12 crore while GHADC and JHADC with Rs 100.71 crore and Rs 33.57 crore respectively.

Besides, the Centre had released SAG funds of Rs 34.87 crore to KHADC, 31.40 crore to GHADC and Rs 11.62 crore to JHADC in March last year.

It is very unfortunate that the SAG funds meant for the development of areas under the two ADCs have been misused by the ruling party, ie the NPP, Mawrie said.

The BJP leader has also slammed the the NPP and its main ally the - United Democratic Party (UDP) for sidelining the saffron partys MDCs in the two ADCs. The BJP has 3 MDCs in JHADC and 7 MDCs in GHADC.

It is also sad that inspite of the fact that we are part of the MDA government, our MDCs in these two ADCs were made to sit in the opposition bench, he said.

In JHADC, the SAG funds are being transferred directly to the bank accounts of the elected members supporting the NPP, which leads the committee, he claimed.

The ruling MDA constitutes NPP, United Democratic Party, Peoples Democratic Front, BJP, Hill State Peoples Democratic party, NCP and three Independents.