Guwahati: Amidst the opposition’s protest against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma’s alleged land scam, the ruling BJP has now accused Congress leader Bharat Chandra Narah and his wife, former Union Minister Rani Narah, of grabbing 128 bighas of forest land in Lakhimpur district to set up a tea estate.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, BJP MLA from Lakhimpur Manab Deka alleged that the Narahs had encroached upon the land since 1990 and had even evicted flood-affected people who had been taking shelter there.
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Deka also alleged that the Narahs had applied for possession of the land through Mission Basundhara in the name of one Ajit Narah. He added that one bigha and four kathas of residential property owned by the Narahs at Boginadi also fall under government land.
However, Narah rubbished Deka’s allegations and said that it was an attempt to divert the attention of the people from the issue of the Chief Minister’s wife’s land scam.
“Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has threatened to file a case against our MP Gaurav Gogoi after he exposed her land scam at the national level. In the second attempt, the BJP transferred Bhupen Bora’s brother and sister-in-law. And the third target was me,” Narah told reporters.
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“It is not a forest land or government land where my tea estate is located. This is miyadi patta land and I purchased it from local residents. There were no flood-affected people sheltered at this land. These are all wild allegations,” Narah said.
He added that he had not encroached upon any forest or government land and that he had purchased the land from locals. He also said that the land was not forest land and that he had never applied for possession of the land through Mission Basundhara.
Narah also accused Deka of corruption and said that he was the kingpin behind the recruitment scam at Lakhimpur Medical College. He alleged that Deka had also grabbed 20 bighas of government land in some places and was constructing a three-storied building.
Meanwhile, Water Resource Minister Pijush Hazarika alleged that the Narah couple had occupied 219 bighas of government land to set up their small tea garden. He said that they would have to face an inquiry for grabbing government land.
The Narahs have denied all the allegations against them.