It's humanity, my wife hasn't committed a crime: Assam CM to Manish Sisodia on PPE kit corruption allegations
Jun 05, 2022
Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 5 : Refuting all the allegations made by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of irregularities in the supply of PPE kits, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that it was not corruption, but humanity.
The Assam Chief Minister also threatened to take legal actions against Sisodia.
Responding to Sisodia's allegations over PPE kit supply, sharing CSR related documents on Twitter Sarma said, "The company in question wrote to Assam's National Health Mission (NHM), stating that supply of around 1,500 PPE kits for Covid warriors must be treated as CSR contribution and hence not a single rupee must be paid by the government. Assam NHM duly acknowledged the same."
He further said that his wife has not committed a crime and she tried to help Assam at the time of its biggest crisis.
"Manish bhai, this is not corruption, it's humanity. My wife hasn't committed a crime, she tried to help Assam at the time of its biggest crisis. Throwing muck at others will not be accepted. You will face legal consequences," Sarma said in a tweet.
Sarma also shared a photo of the Appreciation Letter issued by the NHM expressing gratitude to JCB industries for donating PPEs and helping the government fight the pandemic.
Sisodia had levelled corruption allegations against Assam Chief Minister's wife Rinku Bhuyan Sarma. Sisodia on Saturday alleged that when Sarma was the state Health Minister back in 2020, he had given PPE kit orders to his wife and son's business partner's companies.
He said, "Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma gave government orders to his wife and son's business partner's companies in 2020 for PPE kits when he (CM) was the then health min. An elected CM has indulged in such corrupt activities, will the BJP put him behind the bars?"
Sisodia tweeted tagging a bill addressed to the JCB Industries from NHM-Assam mission director S Lakshmanan.
He wrote, "Honorable Chief Minister @himantabiswa ji! Here is your wife's contract to buy 5000 kits in the name of JCB Industries at 990/- per kit... Tell me, is this paper false? Is it not corruption to give a tender purchase order to your wife's company as a health minister?"
Rinku Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Himanta Biswa Sarma also took to Twitter to issue a clarification over Sisodia's allegations.
She wrote, "In the first week of the pandemic, not a single PPE kit was available with Assam. Taking cognizance of the same, I reached out to a business acquaintance and delivered about 1500 PPE kits to NHM with a lot of effort. Later on, I wrote to the NHM to treat the same as part of my CSR."
"I didn't take a single penny out of the supply. I have always been transparent about my belief in giving back to society, irrespective of my husband's political standing," she added.