BJP bribed SoO groups to influence polls: Congress
Imphal: The Congress has alleged that the BJP government has violated the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct Union by bribing banned militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) on February 1 and March 1 this year to influence voting in four hill districts of the State.
Briefing the media at the Congress Bhawan on Thursday, Rajya Sabha MP and AICC Senior Observer Jairam Ramesh disclosed that he received information from someone high up in the State Government that the Union Home Ministry released Rs 15, 70,32,000 on February 1 and a further payment of Rs 92,65,950 on March 1 to banned militant groups under SoO.
The Congress leader also alleged that the first instalment was paid to influence voting in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts in the first phase while the second payment was made for influencing the elections in Chandel and Tengnoupal districts during the second phase.
The AICC Senior Observer revealed that the payment came from the Union Home Ministry to the State Home Department which directed it to the SP/CID. He also shared the cheque numbers of the two payments: 517801 for the first instalment on February 1, 2022 and 517802 for the second one on March 1, 2022.
He said that the shocking revelation came amid at least one lakh State Government employees not receiving their salaries for two months, 6000 mid-day meal cooks not being paid for 18 months and pensioners being deprived of their retirement benefits.
The Congress leader maintained that the grand old party believes in peace and dialogue but the BJP was indulging in corruption and bribery by paying the underground outfits which signed the SoO agreement four years ago to misuse them for intimidating voters in the four hill districts and influence the election for the benefit of the saffron party.
