Kalimpong April 15: As curtains came down for the 16th lok sabha polls on Tuesday, the BJP got a jolt from the Gorkha intellectual body that alleged that the former Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh diverted fund to the tune of Rs. 10 lakhs from the MP LAD fund to his native place Barmer in Rajasthan in 2011-2012.
The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP) - a body of Gorkha intellectuals backing independent candidate Dr. Mahendra P.Lama this election—told a press conference today that the diversion of fund was revealed after its RTI cell sought reply from the parliament.
“Rs. 4 lakh was used for construction of a community hall at Chochra gram panchayat in Barmer. Another Rs. 5, 92, 405 was spent in constructing a basketball ground for a education society in Barmer itself,” alleged Enos Das Pradhan, the BGP working president.
The BGP is against having an MP who is an outsider and thus has supported Lama who is the son of the soil. “This is an example what a burrowed MP does to us. This is not permissible because MP LAD fund must be utilized in a constituency for which it is allotted. Immediate steps should be taken by the authorities failing which we will initiate a legal action,” Pradhan warned.
Singh a BJP MP had won from the Darjeeling seat in 2009 with backing from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) with a huge margin. The GJM following the same drift this time too has backed BJP’s S.S. Ahluwalia. Most of the hill parties including BGP are against choosing an outside candidate.
The BGP said this is the first phase of fund diversion by the former MP and the organization will soon make public the second phase of fund diversion in due course. Pradhan alleged that GJM top leaders are also involved in diverting the fund to Rajasthan.
The BGP foiling the misuse of fund has urged the voters to vote of Lama instead of candidates who have been borrowed from other states. Apart from Ahluwalia, Bhaichung Bhutia the TMC nominee is from neighbouring Sikkim.
Indian Gorkhas
Enos Das Pradhan, the BGP working president |
“Rs. 4 lakh was used for construction of a community hall at Chochra gram panchayat in Barmer. Another Rs. 5, 92, 405 was spent in constructing a basketball ground for a education society in Barmer itself,” alleged Enos Das Pradhan, the BGP working president.
The BGP is against having an MP who is an outsider and thus has supported Lama who is the son of the soil. “This is an example what a burrowed MP does to us. This is not permissible because MP LAD fund must be utilized in a constituency for which it is allotted. Immediate steps should be taken by the authorities failing which we will initiate a legal action,” Pradhan warned.
Singh a BJP MP had won from the Darjeeling seat in 2009 with backing from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) with a huge margin. The GJM following the same drift this time too has backed BJP’s S.S. Ahluwalia. Most of the hill parties including BGP are against choosing an outside candidate.
The BGP said this is the first phase of fund diversion by the former MP and the organization will soon make public the second phase of fund diversion in due course. Pradhan alleged that GJM top leaders are also involved in diverting the fund to Rajasthan.
The BGP foiling the misuse of fund has urged the voters to vote of Lama instead of candidates who have been borrowed from other states. Apart from Ahluwalia, Bhaichung Bhutia the TMC nominee is from neighbouring Sikkim.
Indian Gorkhas
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