Year 2010 ''loot time in N-E'' : BJP

Guwahati, Feb 14 (PTI) Describing year 2010 as LootTime in the North East'', BJP National Secretary Dr KiritSomaiya today alleged that Rs 46,3000 crore were either lootedor siphoned off from the state exchequers of Assam, ArunachalPradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura andSikkim.

"Systematic swindling of public money in the stateexchequer, embezzlement, fraud and rampant corruption bypoliticians in power and officials have been witnessed in allthese states", Somaiya alleged while presenting a report ofthe BJP fact finding committee before reporters here.

BJP National President Nitin Gadkari had appointed athree-member committee, which included Somaiya, to probe intothe various scams in the North-East by visiting the states tounearth and document the various scams there.

He said perusing records of CAG, Central VigilanceCommission (CVC) and interaction with various quarters, theBJP committee had found that embezzlement, misappropriationand frauds had become a culture of the ruling party in theNorth East.

Alleging government money meant for development andpoverty alleviation was looted, the senior BJP leader said,"data for 50 different scams was collected with the loot inhydropower scam going beyond Rs four lakh crore and corruptionas well as kickbacks running into thousands of crores".

"Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and Food forWork meant for the poor and below poverty line (BPL) people donot reach them but is misappropriated by ministers and theirfamily members", Somaiya claimed.

"In almost all these states rice meant fordistribution to the poor does not reach the state but viaAssam goes straight to Bangladesh. Simultaneously,transportation charges and subsidies are claimed in hundredsof crores and pocketed by transport contractors who are theministers'' family members", he averred. (More) PTI ESB SUS