Shillong, Sept 23: Congress leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Thursday said nothing will come out of the probe into MeECL issues since the terms of reference has nothing to offer.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sangma said,” You look at the terms of reference…it is an intent to tell people that the inquiry is already on but nothing is going to come out of the inquiry – keep it on record I am saying that”.
He was responding to the reshuffling of portfolios in the MDA government.
He also accused the NPP-led MDA government of “tampering” with the terms of reference of the independent inquiry.
“If there is an instance of irregularity and alleged corruption which has been brought upon us, we must take cognizance of those and do justice and be honest, allow the law to take its own course in the right perspective and not tamper with the terms of reference,” Sangma said.
Stating that the inquiry team has been given the task of looking at ten years of MeECL instead of the current issues, Sangma said, “Now if there is a case of theft in one shop, you want to have a proper investigation, would you then say how many thefts there have been in police bazaar for the last ten years? This is how you will unearth the truth?”
He said the demand of the Congress was to investigate specific issues pertaining to Saubhagya and smart meters but with the present terms of reference, the inquiry will never unearth the truth pertaining to those areas of irregularities as it is just an eye wash.
“Other things if there are, then you have another separate inquiry, you cannot club all the crimes and have a process of administration of justice”, he said.
Sangma said the drama was with intent to play to the gallery and that does not augur well for the state.
“This is because the tendency of all those people who want to engage in acts of irregularities and acts of corruption they will only get embolden when people go scot-free after engaging in activities against the interest of the people and the state if they go scot-free what happens they get embolden, there will be no deterrence, there will be no fear for law,” he said.
Sangma also said all political parties who are part of the coalition government and who have been aggressive in demonstrating before the people of the state are also now quiet as they say the inquiry is going on.
