CM links ex-APSC chairman Rakesh Paul’s corrupt appointment to congress leadership, calls for apology

Guwahati, March 3: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday launched a fresh attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, alleging that former APSC chairman Rakesh Paul, the key accused in the cash-for-jobs scam, gifted gold ornaments worth ₹3 lakh at Gogoi’s wedding in 2013.

Addressing the Assam Assembly during a discussion initiated by BJP MLA Manab Deka, Sarma traced how corruption in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) thrived under Congress rule, specifically linking it to former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s tenure.

Sarma asserted that the appointment of Rakesh Paul as APSC chairman was a direct political favour by the Congress government, disregarding merit and due process. He revealed that in 2008, Paul directly applied to Tarun Gogoi, seeking an APSC post. Gogoi marked the file “May be considered”, leading to Paul’s appointment within 24 days—without a background check.

“In 2013, despite the rising corruption allegations, Tarun Gogoi personally recommended Paul for the chairman’s post, granting him a five-year term extension in record time—just two days,” Sarma said.

“Under Paul’s tenure, cash-for-jobs scams flourished, favouring influential candidates over deserving students,” he said.

Sarma further accused Congress of using weddings as a cover for corruption, stating that Gaurav Gogoi never denied receiving gold from Rakesh Paul, despite 20 days passing since the Justice Biplab Sharma Commission report went public. He challenged Gogoi to clarify, “If he didn’t take the gold, why hasn’t he denied it? Why did Congress leaders rush to defend him instead?”

The Chief Minister also exposed a pattern of APSC manipulation under Congress rule, revealing that at least six to seven ministers’ children secured APSC jobs. However, he contrasted this with BJP’s governance, stating, “Today, appointments are made on merit. No minister’s child can be seen in APSC appointment ceremonies.”

Sarma credited the BJP-led government under former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for boldly exposing and dismantling the APSC recruitment scam. He listed several arrests, including Rakesh Paul (APSC chairman), Pabitra Kaibarta, Basanta Doley, Abbas Ali Ahmed, Syed Musharaf Hussain, Babul Ali Choudhury and Samedur Rahman.

“This was the first time in India that a sitting PSC chairman and his entire team were jailed for corruption. It was an unprecedented move to clean up the system,” Sarma declared.
Calling the APSC scam the biggest betrayal of Assam’s youth, Sarma demanded a public apology from Congress, stating that the party should admit its wrongdoing before dreaming of returning to power.

“We have taken strong measures to ensure such scams never happen again. The future of Assam’s youth will no longer be traded for money and political favours,” he said.

The Chief Minister thanked Justice (Retd.) Biplab Sharma for exposing the truth behind the cash-for-jobs scam and stated that the government is taking all necessary measures against officials who secured appointments through unfair means.

“However, there are some officials against whom we could not take action, as they would have still secured APSC jobs even without resorting to unfair means,” he added.

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