GUWAHATI: Assam Trinamool Congress (TMC) president Ripun Bora, on Friday (August 18), hit-out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “silence on various scams” allegedly “committed by the BJP-led central government” in the last nine years.
Briefing media persons in Guwahati, Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora said that the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech declared a crusade against corruption but “it is surprising to see his silence on the financial irregularities and scams which have been exposed in the comptroller and auditor general’s (CAG) report” released on August 10.
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The former Rajya Sabha member from Assam said that Prime Minister Modi “needs to look within before his harping about corruption against opposition parties” as he has been overseeing after all important matters of the country.
On the Bharatmala Project, Assam TMC president Ripun Bora said that the CAG report stated that it was implemented without environmental clearance which ultimately questioned its sustainability.
Bora added that the phase-1 of the project’s cost approved by the cabinet in 2017 was Rs 15.4 crore per km for construction of a total of 34,800 km.
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“But the cost sanctioned by the ministry till 2023 is Rs 32 crore per km for construction of 26,316 km,” he said.
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He said that the highway length of km decreased while the cost per km actually doubled and the flawed tender process and absence of a detailed project report were highlighted.
Bora added that there are allegations of diverting Rs 3,500 crore from the escrow account.
Speaking on construction of the Dwarka Expressway, Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora said that the construction costs escalated from Rs 18 crores per km to Rs 250 crore per km.
He added that it was a loss of Rs 6728 crore. He also said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has ‘looted’ Rs 132 crore through various toll plazas and these toll plazas are an undue burden to the commuters.
Bora added that the CAG has criticised the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for design flaws and material substitutions in aircraft engines leading to production delays and a loss of Rs 159.23 crore by March 2022, adding that the report highlights inadequate planning and deviations from the project scope.
The TMC national spokesperson said that a booklet published by the BJP parliamentary board termed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the most corrupt minister of the country while he was in Congress but the BJP made him the chief minister of the state.