‘Expose’ of Gogoi’s Assets in US Draws Flak

By Prasanta Mazumdar

Guwahati, Jan 11 : An RTI activist’s ‘expose’ of the property owned by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s wife, daughter and son-in-law in the US gave the BJP enough ammo to fire at the ruling Congress in the state with senior leader L K Advani on Sunday taking the Chief Minister head on, asking him to come clean on the issue.

“I appeal to the Chief Minister to take action against Akhil Gogoi (RTI activist) if whatever he claimed was wrong. However, if Gogoi fails to do so, the people will be compelled to think otherwise,” Advani told people at an NDA rally here.

A similar appeal to Gogoi was also made by BJP president Nitin Gadkari. “Akhil Gogoi met me on Saturday and showed five photographs (of houses owned by the Chief Minister’s wife, daughter and son-in-law in the US.

I appeal to the Chief Minister to file a defamation suit against Akhil Gogoi and tell people that he is wrong. However, he doesn’t do so, the people will be forced to think that dal me kuch kala hain (there is something in it),” Gadkari said.

The RTI activist, also general secretary of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, claimed that Gogoi’s kin owned property worth `17.9 crore in the US. 

Armed with documents procured through US-based information commerce company Intellius, the RTI activist had said: “The Chief Minister’s wife Dolly Gogoi has a house worth $143,400 (`7,170,000) when her annual income shown was `2,918,650.

Similarly, his daughter Chandrima Gogoi has a house worth `89,800,000 against an annual income of `64,42,650.”   The activist said the more expensive houses, three in all worth a total $2,437,501 (`121,875,050), were in the name of Gogoi’s son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan. 

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee said it viewed the charges “seriously since we are vocal against corruption of all kinds”.

The Opposition AGP, meanwhile, wasted no time in targeting the CM on the issue.