GUWAHATI, July 29: Transport Minister Anjan Dutta today announced his decision to resign from the post of Minister and also from membership of the Assembly till the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the crude oil theft scam is completed following a heated debate in the Assembly. The Assembly today witnessed noisy scenes and heated exchange of words between the ruling and opposition party members over the issue after AGP member Zoii Nath Sarma moved a motion of breach of privilege against the Transport Minister.
Moving the Motion, Sarma alleged that the Transport Minister had misled the House yesterday on a question of allowing Putul Gogoi, arrested in crude oil theft to open a restaurant in the Janji station of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC). He alleged that Sarma had in fact allotted land to a non government organisation Sarba-mangalam, headed by the wife of former Chief Minister when he was the Revenue Minister of the State and the Vice President of India laid the foundation stone of a project of the organisation on that plot of land near Ganeshguri in the city. He asserted that if the organisation had taken a donation from Putul Gogoi, he had nothing to do with that and said,? if any member of our party received money from the kingpin of the crude oil theft, action should be taken against him or her.? He claimed that he would resign from membership of the House if anyone could prove that he had taken money from Putul Gogoi. The AGP legislator went on to allege that the entire State Government was involved in crude oil theft.
The ruling party members strongly opposed the comment of Sarma and the Speaker Prithibi Majhi directed Sarma to withdraw his statement. At that point of time, an agitated Anjan Dutta pointed out that the Opposition members were levelling baseless allegations against him without any proof. He announced his decision to resign from the post of Minister and also from the membership of the Assembly and stormed out of the House.
Later, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Bharat Chandra Narah said that the AGP legislator brought some baseless allegations against the Transport Minister and requested the Speaker not to admit the motion. He said that the Government has already ordered a CBI probe into the oil theft scam and the kingpin Putul Gogoi was arrested immediately after the matter came to the notice of the Government. The Speaker kept his ruling on the motion reserved. But later, the ruling party members requested the Chair to make an appeal to Dutta to not to stick to his decision for tendering resignation. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Narah urged upon the Chair to make the appeal on behalf of the House.