Illegal Trade: Assam Assembly Witnesses Ruckus Over ‘Syndicate Raj’

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly on Monday witnessed a ruckus over alleged prevalence of ‘Syndicate Raj’ in different parts of the State with both Opposition and ruling MLAs shouted on each other and engaged in mudslinging.

Raising the issue during a call attention motion in the ongoing summer session of the Assembly on Monday morning, Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha alleged that unscrupulous elements are running syndicates on coal, fertilizer and supari in Barak Valley under the very nose of administration and police. He accused the police of collecting a huge amount of money from truckers and use to give them slips for smooth passage through the valley.

“Instead of the transport department officials, the police are checking the trucks illegally carrying coal, fertilizer and supari,” Purkayastha said. He claimed that a section of BJP leaders made their statements outside the House about existence of syndicates.

Purkayastha’s statement provoked the ruling BJP MLAs and they started shouting on the Opposition bench pointing fingers that it was the Congress which had given birth to syndicate culture in the State.

BJP MLA Prasanta Phukan said he himself runs a truck business and has not come across any incident of collecting money from truckers since the BJP came to power in the State. “My truck drivers pay money to police in West Bengal and Bihar not in Assam,” Phukan said.

Challenging the ruling party’s claim on syndicates, Congress MLA from Goalpara East Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam asked the BJP MLAs to visit Goalpara to witness the existence of syndicate raj.

Responding to Alam’s challenge, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary pointed to the Congress for giving birth to syndicates. He cited a few instances when the present BJP regime launched a crack down on syndicates.

Patowary’s statement provoked the Opposition MLAs and they created a ruckus. The Congress MLAs said instead of recalling the past instances the government should focus as how to prevent syndicates now. When the ruckus continued, the Speaker, Hitendra Nath Goswami intervened and urged all MLAs to take the issue of syndicate seriously.

“We all want closure of syndicates. So, everyone should be serious about the issue,” the Speaker said.

Patowary said with all responsibility the BJP government will never allow syndicates to run in the State. He said the State Government has already made official correspondences with the governments in Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh to conduct check on trucks illegally carrying goods. He added that the government has constituted flying squads to conduct raids on trucks. “If anyone has evidence about syndicates he or she must submit the same to the Gauhati High Court which is currently hearing suo motu case on coal syndicate,” he said.

The Minister said from June 1, 2016 to July 26, 2019, the police registered 69 cases in connection with illegal coal business and arrested 82 persons. In the same period, seven cases were registered in connection with illegal supari trade and five persons arrested. The police have apprehended 22 persons in connection with 15 cases of illegal fertilizer trade.

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