Guwahati: After a BJP veteran, Ram Prasad Sarmah alleged an MP who handles Irrigation in Assam of taking a fixed ‘bribe of 10%’, the BJP has called an emergency meeting on Saturday.
Sarmah had claimed that a party MP of ministers demands kickbacks for contracts in an interview aired by a local news channel two days ago. While some local media reports quote him as saying that his comments were distorted, as per NDTV.
In the interview, he is heard saying that while a range of ministers take commissions, Ranjit Dutta, who handles Irrigation, demands a fixed 10% “commission.” Contradicting Sarmah’s claims, Mr Dutta said the charges are false.
Earlier this year, a top bureaucrat in his ministry was arrested while accepting a bribe in his office.
The BJP was elected to power in Assam last year, after 15 years of governance by the Congress. The Chief Minister has asked for proof of the claims of corruption within his government, the MP who has triggered the controversy will be present at the BJP discussion on Saturday.
The Irrigation Minister told the Indian Express that Mr Sarmah has a record of making wild and baseless allegations including against the Chief Minister.