New Delhi: The Congress has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to summon Home Minister Amit Shah to question him on his “categorical assertion” that the “Conrad Sangma government in Meghalaya was the most corrupt in the country” ahead of the Assembly elections. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh in a letter CBI Director Subodh Jaiswal urged the probe agency to question the Home Minister over his remark and to investigate that claim.
In his letter to Jaiswal, Ramesh stated that Shah in his public speech on February 17, 2023, said the then government of Meghalaya "was the most corrupt government in the country". "Amit Shah is also the Home Minister of India. In his capacity as the home minister, he would surely have had access to information and facts that led him to this conclusion," Ramesh said.
Summon Amit Shah and ask him to submit all the information
The Congress leader further said that for some inexplicable reasons, the Home Minister, who is also the former national president of BJP, has failed to act upon the information about the corrupt practices and instances of the then Meghalaya government. “Therefore, in the highest national interest, we urge you to summon Amit Shah and ask him to submit all the information and facts that led him to stated assessment and investigate the matter,” he said in the letter dated March 21 which he tweeted Thursday.
"We also urge you to investigate if the Home Minister of India was under any undue duress from his party or other forces, to suppress the information related to the corruption of Meghalaya, in order to enable his party BJP to support the same chief minister after the recent Meghalaya elections," the Congress leader added.
Sharing a on Twitter, the Congress leader said, he has written to the Director of CBI, asking the probe agency to question the Union home minister further on his "categorical assertion" that Conrad Sangma's government in Meghalaya was the most corrupt in the country. "That of course did not prevent the BJP from supporting the same Conrad Sangma again," Ramesh added. Ramesh also shared news reports pertaining to Amit Shah's statement with the letter.
Amit Shah's allegations on Conrad Sangma's govt
Earlier while addressing the public rally in Meghalaya's Rangsakona as part of election campaign, the Home Minister had said, “We need a strong BJP in Meghalaya that is why we broke the alliance before the polls and decided to contest all 60 Assembly seats. Meghalaya is one of the most corrupt states in the country due to the inefficiency of the state government.”
Notably, the BJP parted its way from the National People's Party (NPP)-led government before the election in Meghalaya to contest all 60 assembly seats alone. However, the BJP extended support for Conrad Sangma's government to form the new government after the ruling party just managed to win only two seats.
It is pertinent to mention, the Congress’ move comes days after the Delhi Police served a notice to party MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra that "women are still being sexually assaulted". Rahul Gandhi sent a preliminary reply to the Delhi Police notice in a mail, hours after cops visited the former's residence. The Wayanad MP has written a mail to the cops saying that he gave a statement on January 30 and the Delhi Police is seeking information from him after 45 days. He has sought a few days time to reply to the notice of the Delhi Police.
