The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), a regional ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam, has accused the administrator of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) of splurging on “decorative construction work” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi had on April 27 appointed Rajesh Prasad, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, as the administrator of the BTC following the imposition of Governor’s Rule.
Elections to the 40-seat BTC could not be held on April 4 because of the pandemic and the associated lockdown. The BPF had been ruling the council since its creation in February 2003 until its last five-year term ended on April 27.
“While the issue of imposition of Governor’s Rule in BTC is still in the court, Assam Principal Secretary Rajesh Prasad, who has been appointed as administrator, has started decorative construction work at the BTC Secretariat. The move by the State government officials to spend crores of rupees on decorating their offices and homes comes at a time when our people are suffering immensely due to the coronavirus pandemic,” the BPF said in a statement.
“Instead of focusing on the people’s problems like not getting their stipulated ration, the officials are more concerned about their own facilities,” the BPF said, accusing Mr. Prasad of demanding bullet-proof cars.
Mr. Prasad trashed the charges as part of a malicious campaign against him.
“I have been posted here because of Governor’s Rule. There is absolutely no change in the BTC chief’s room I am operating from now. And I have just made an unoccupied house built by an executive engineer liveable after clearing jungles and some earth-filling since it is a low-lying area prone to flooding,” he told The Hindu from BTC headquarters Kokrajhar, about 225 km west of Guwahati.
“As for the bullet-proof cars, there were two allotted to the BTC chief and deputy chief more than 10 years ago. They were lying idle in the garage. I checked out one of them on one occasion and had its broken door repaired,” Mr. Prasad said.
“In any case, I will leave whenever the government asks me to or when the elections are held. The assets will remain here,” he added.