Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reacts on PPE contracts scam allegations by Manish Sisodia

Hours after Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia claimed that BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma did corruption during Covid and awarded contracts to his wife and son's business partners, the Assam Chief Minister hit back at the AAP leader in a sharp worded tweet. Replying to the allegations made by Manish Sisodia, Assam CM tweeted: "Dear Manish Sisodia, let me refresh your memory from 2 years. You did not even reply to my tweet when my people from Assam needed your help during the Covid pandemic. Many phone calls even went unanswered in spite of the fact that we knew each other very well." Responding to the point of overcharging, Sarma said: "At a time when the entire country was facing the worst pandemic in over 100 years, Assam hardly had any PPE Kits. My wife took the courage of coming forward and donating around 1500 free of cost to the govt to save lives. She didn’t take a single penny." The allegations are ''false, imaginary, malicious and can be attributed as the handiwork of a certain section with vested interests,'' Government spokesman Pijush Hazarika, who is also the state's minister for water resources and information and public relations told reporters.

Dear Manish Sishodia, let me refresh your memory from 2 years. You did not even reply to my tweet when my people from Assam needed your help during the Covid pandemic. Many phone calls even went unanswered in spite of the fact that we knew each other very well. https://t.co/k8JHasbb5r

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022

https://t.co/Xw94tURAZipic.twitter.com/AyuMpkp2HQ

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022

माननीय मुख्यमंत्री @himantabiswa जी! यह रहा आपकी पत्नी की JCB इंडस्ट्रीज के नाम 990/- प्रति किट के हिसाब से 5000 किट ख़रीदने का contract… बताइए क्या यह काग़ज़ झूँठा है?

क्या स्वास्थ्यमंत्री रहते अपनी पत्नी की कम्पनी को बिना टेंडर purchase order देना भ्रष्टाचार नहीं है? https://t.co/qHcZYjfkrvpic.twitter.com/XR5q9V2bTe

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) June 4, 2022

While you Mr Manish Sisodia at that point of time showed a completely different side. You refused my multiple calls to help Assamese people stuck in Delhi. I can never forget one instance when I had to wait 7 days just to get a Assamese covid victim’s body from Delhi’s mortuary.

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022

At a time when the entire country was facing the worst pandemic in over 100 years , Assam hardly had any PPE Kits

My wife took the courage of coming forward and donating around 1500 free of cost to the govt to save lives

She didn’t take a single penny. pic.twitter.com/ESPJ64qKen

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022

For the unversed, Earlier today, Sisodia citing news reports that Himanta Biswa Sarma in 2020 when he was state health minister gave contracts for PPE kits to a firm owned by his wife and other companies owned by his son's business partners. He said Sarma's wife runs a company, JCB industries. The contract was given to her company, which had no background in medical supply or manufacturing.Sisodia further claimed that the Assam government was buying PPE kits from other companies at Rs 600. But the contract given to Sarma's wife was for Rs 990. Not only this, the AAP leader claimed that the then Assam health minister also gave contracts to two companies - JRD Pharmaceutical and Maritime Healthcare - owned by his son's business partners. These two firms were also supplying kits at Rs 990, while others were supplying at Rs 600, Sisodia said.He said it is a crime to give contracts to relatives at these exorbitant prices. Sisodia said that Sarma's wife's company did not supply the kits and her contact was cancelled. His son's business partners also did not supply kits but were given more contacts at an even higher rate, Sisodia said.The AAP leader said that the next contract to JRD and Maritime was at Rs 1680. Sosodia claimed that when PPE kits were available at Rs 600, the Assam government was buying these kits at Rs 1680. He also named a third firm - Agile Associates, which he claimed was linked to Sarma's wife. Sisodia said this third company was given a contract for PPE kits for Rs 2205.However, Sarma denied the corruption charges and targeted the AAP government for not helping the Assam government during Covid.