Bongaigaon (Assam), Nov 6 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said he has asked the police to enquire about an alleged job scam during the Congress government in the state and question party MP Rakibul Hussain.
While election campaigning for BJP’s ally AGP candidate Diptimayee Choudhury for by-poll in Bongaigaon seat, Sarma said there were rumours of a job scam when the Congress’s Dhubri MP was a minister in former CM Tarun Gogoi’s tenure.
“People of Assam had the doubt that Rakibul Hussain had given appointments through the backdoor when he was the Minister of State for Home. A huge controversy had erupted during that time,” he added.
Sarma claimed that Hussain reportedly accepted two days ago that he had given jobs.
“Now, how could he give jobs? A minister cannot give a job. So, I have asked the police to call Rakibul Hussain after the election and ask about how and to whom he offered jobs,” he told reporters.
Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, who won the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat this year by a record margin of over 10.12 lakh votes, was an MLA from Samaguri for five consecutive terms.
For the upcoming bypoll in the state, the Congress has named Hussain’s son Tanzil as the party’s candidate for the Samaguri seat against Diplu Ranjan Sarma of BJP.
The chief minister is likely to campaign in Samaguri on Thursday.
“We knew about Rakesh Pal (former APSC chairman) that he had given jobs and then he went to jail. We did not know about Rakibul Hussain giving jobs. As he himself said it, so now the government has to examine the matter,” the CM said.
The polling for by-election will take place on November 13 and the votes will be counted on November 23. PTI TR TR NN
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