Guwahati: The Gorukhuti Multipurpose Agriculture Project, an initiative lauded by the Assam government in 2021, has plunged into a deep well of controversy, with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Thursday calling for a CBI investigation into the alleged disappearance and sale of 90 Gir cows.
A letter penned by AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi paints a grim picture of “gross irregularities, misappropriation of public funds, and large-scale corruption,” further exacerbated by what Gogoi terms a “shameful act of sacrilege and betrayal of public trust involving the holy cow.”
Gogoi’s letter meticulously details how 300 Gir cows were initially procured from Gujarat through the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) for the project. However, the crux of the matter lies in the alleged disappearance of 90 of these cows upon their arrival at Rangia railway station on April 2-3, 2022.
The AJP president highlighted the unsettling discrepancies in statements made by both Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the project chairman, which, according to Gogoi, have only served to amplify public suspicion. The opposition leader vehemently asserted that the people of Assam deserve nothing less than transparency, accountability, and justice, stressing that the sacred cow, revered as a symbol of purity, should not be reduced to a mere commodity for commercial exploitation by those in positions of power.
The AJP’s demand to the Prime Minister extends beyond a simple probe into the missing cows. Gogoi has urged for a comprehensive CBI inquiry encompassing the entire gamut of the episode, from procurement to custody, distribution, and the eventual sale or disappearance of the Gir cows under the Gorukhuti Project. Additionally, the AJP has called for a meticulous forensic audit of all subsidy disbursements and financial records associated with the involved entities.
The Gorukhuti project itself has been a subject of contention since its inception, established on over 77,000 bighas of land cleared during a massive eviction drive in 2021 that predominantly displaced Bengali-speaking Muslim families. This drive had previously drawn widespread condemnation after two individuals, including a 12-year-old boy, tragically lost their lives in police firing.
Adding fuel to the fire, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah had, in a press conference last week, admitted to the sale of 90 Gir cows, originally intended for the Gorukhuti project, to private individuals. This list of beneficiaries reportedly includes his own wife, BJP state chief Dilip Saikia, and several MLAs, namely Bhubon Pegu, Diganta Kalita, and Utpal Bora.
This revelation has further galvanized the opposition, with the principal opposition party in Assam, the Congress, also throwing its weight behind the demand for a CBI probe into the alleged corruption implicating BJP ministers, an MP, MLAs, and other party leaders.
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