Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has called on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to publicly defend his father, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, following a government report implicating the late leader in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) ‘cash-for-job’ scam. The report, tabled in the Assam Assembly, scrutinizes the role of Tarun Gogoi in appointing Rakesh Kumar Paul, the prime accused in the scam, as APSC chairman.
During a discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Governor’s speech, Sarma also alleged that Gaurav Gogoi failed to declare expensive wedding gifts to the Income Tax Department. “Gaurav Gogoi must defend his father. It’s strange that three days have passed since the report came out, and there’s no statement from him,” Sarma stated.
The report by Justice (retd) BK Sharma Commission highlights irregularities in the APSC’s Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) conducted in 2013 and 2014. It reveals that Paul’s appointment was based on a personal application to then-CM Gogoi, bypassing formal selection processes, which led to widespread corruption.
Sarma emphasized that he initially hesitated to table the report out of respect for his former colleague but was compelled by Congress’s demand for transparency. He also promised to present a comparison document between the Congress’s “dark history” and the BJP’s “transparent and clean” recruitment system.
The APSC scam, uncovered in 2016, led to the arrest of nearly 70 individuals, including Paul and several civil and police officials. The report underscores the need for accountability and reform in the state’s recruitment processes.
