Guwahati: In a letter to Union Industries and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi has sought his immediate intervention into the controversy over the Rs 10 crore in subsidies obtained from the central government by a company owned by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife.
Gogoi has alleged that the Ministry of Food Processing has allocated Rs 10 crore to M/S Pride East Entertainment, the promoter of which is Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the wife of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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He pointed out that the list of beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) and Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro Clusters on the Ministry of Food Processing Industries’ website includes M/S Pride East Entertainment Private Limited with an approved Grant-in-Aid of Rs 10 crore.
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Despite this, Gogoi has alleged that the Assam Chief Minister has denied receiving or claiming any money from the Government of India. He has therefore urged the Union Minister to intervene in the matter so that the real facts come out in the open.
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Gogoi has also raised concerns about the speed and nature of the acquisition of a substantial agricultural land plot by a media house owned by the Chief Minister’s family and its subsequent conversion into industrial property within a short period of time.
He demanded a comprehensive investigation into these transactions to maintain transparency and uphold ethical standards.
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In the interest of accountability and transparency, Gogoi has also called upon Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to disclose the precise amount of money received by M/S Pride East Entertainment in the form of grants and subsidies from the Assam state government so far, if any.
He has also voiced the concerns of the people of Assam who are grappling with high inflation, arguing that the burden of excessive GST, costly gas cylinders, and toll taxes should not fall on the shoulders of the public to benefit a company owned by the Chief Minister’s family.
Gogoi has said that he welcomes any legal action against him for raising these allegations and that he is confident that the accused company will be required to present all relevant documents, including land and bank records, in a court of law.