Shillong: The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on the National People’s Party (NPP) following the discovery of Rs 1 crore in cash in the vehicle of a contractor closely associated with the Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma-led party.
The vehicle was part of the convoy accompanying the Meghalaya Chief Minister Sangma during his campaign for the NPP in Arunachal Pradesh.
Deborah Marak, the working president of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee, emphasized the significance of the contractor’s affiliation with the party, asserting that it cannot be ignored.
“Why was such a large sum of money, earned through the toil of the people of Meghalaya, being transported to Arunachal Pradesh?” Marak questioned.
Criticizing the NPP, Marak suggested that the presence of a substantial amount of cash in an era where digital transactions are prevalent hints at the intention to utilize the funds for election-related purposes.
The NPP, however, has distanced itself from the controversy. While Sangma, typically active on social media, has refrained from commenting on the incident.
On April 4, Rs 1 crore in cash was seized from an SUV closely following Sangma’s convoy at the Kanubari check post in the Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The cash was found in a Fortuner bearing Assam registration number (AS01 ET 5252), belonging to Harshvardhan Singh, the executive director of Badri Rai & Construction Ltd.
The seizure was conducted by the flying squad and static surveillance teams, who subsequently transferred the cash to the State Bank of India (SBI) for safekeeping pending further investigation, according to officials.