By IANS,
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday demanded a CBI probe into alleged corruption in the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Arunachal Pradesh, in which former chief minister Gegong Apang is an accused, and said the Congress should clarify its position on the issue.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said in a statement that Gegong Apang and Pema Khandu, son of the present Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, were among the accused in the case. She alleged that some MLAs and senior bureaucrats were also facing allegations.
Demanding the arrest of all the accused, Sitharaman said the “scandal”, in which foodgrains meant for the poor in Arunachal Pradesh were diverted for sale in Assam’s free market, was to the tune of Rs.1,000 crore.
“The scandal relating to distribution of foodgrains through the public distribution system is estimated to involve Rs.1,000 crore,” she said.
The BJP leader said that only Apang and his security officer had been arrested and sent to judicial custody while many of the accused had obtained bail as the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) probing the scandal did not object to their pleas.
She said both Apang and Dorjee Khandu belong to the Congress and the party should clear its stance on the issue.
Sitharaman said the SIC was constituted by the state government following orders of the Guwahati High Court but it has not been able to make progress in its investigation.
“The SIC consisting of state level police officers has not made progress in the investigation. We demand a CBI probe,” she said.
She added that pending bills of 2004-2010 should not be cleared by the government without court orders.