Itanagar, May 6:
Veteran politician and former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Pema Khandu following the Supreme Court-directed preliminary enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged irregularities in the awarding of Public Works Department (PWD) contracts.
According to reports published by The Arunachal Times, the enquiry pertains to allegations that PWD contracts worth nearly Rs 1,270 crore were awarded to members of the chief minister’s family over a span of ten years.
Reacting strongly to the development, Apang stated that a fair and impartial investigation would not be possible while Pema Khandu continues to remain in office as the sitting chief minister.
“A CBI enquiry cannot be expected to be free and fair when the sitting chief minister belongs to the ruling party in power at the Centre and the CBI functions under the executive control of the Union Home Minister,” Apang said.
The former chief minister further asserted that if Khandu does not step down during the course of the enquiry and is later given a clean chit, serious doubts would remain over the credibility and independence of the investigation.
“If Pema Khandu does not submit his resignation and the preliminary enquiry gives him a clean chit, we will be forced to believe that the enquiry was never free and fair,” Apang added.
The controversy has intensified political debate in Arunachal Pradesh, with opposition voices and critics closely monitoring the developments surrounding the Supreme Court-ordered probe. However, no official response from Chief Minister Pema Khandu or the state government had been issued at the time of filing this report.
The CBI preliminary enquiry is expected to examine the process through which the contracts were allegedly awarded and whether any violation of rules, conflict of interest, or misuse of official position took place during the period under scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, while addressing the media on Tuesday, denied any involvement in the corruption allegations that prompted the preliminary inquiry by the CBI and asserted that he has full faith that the truth will emerge.
“I have no involvement whatsoever in this case. I am so confident that I have not even engaged my personal lawyer to represent me at the Supreme Court,” Khandu said, adding that there was “no reason to worry.”
