[Assam] ‘Gogoi family has Rs 18-crore property in US’

[amlan saha]

143 Albany Street, Cambridge, MA, the address listed in the article is
actually the Edgerton House at MIT, a student residence.

http://eh.mit.edu/about/eha/

On Sun, Jan 9, 2011 at 2:25 PM, amlan saha <a.saha at alumni.tufts.edu> wrote:

> Cannot speak for the other addresses in the article but Albany Street,
> Cambridge, MA is mostly MIT property (I live in Cambridge); looks to me like
> a cut and paste job from some associated (with his son-in-law or daughter?)
> mention of the address as a place of residence for graduate studies?
>
>
> On Sun, Jan 9, 2011 at 1:56 PM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I did a little quick math and the total value of these houses , approx. 18
>> crore rupees, is really a puny
>> amount by local standards, as far as housing value goes, $ 500,000 or so.
>> A 3 BR. condominium
>> like the one at Mountain View CA, itself would be almost 1.5 to 2 times
>> the combined value of
>> the three ( or is it four) houses/condos's reported value ( $ 600,000 to $
>> 1,000,000).
>>
>> So, for one thing, the reported values mean little. For another, that CM
>> Gogoi's son-in-law,
>> from published accounts a Google executive, probably makes enough on HIS
>> OWN to be able to
>> afford  a $ 1,000,000 loan on one ( or a collection of houses) described
>> here. People buy houses
>> with long-term loans here, not with hard cash.
>>
>> Therefore, the value of the houses described could NOT be construed to
>> point to the notion
>> of assets disproportionate to the son-in-law's assets, leading to  casting
>> aspersions on CM Gogoi
>> or his wife being the financiers, from legitimate or corrupt sources.
>>
>> That may be the good news for CM Gogoi and his wife.
>>
>> The bad news probably lies elsewhere: the Ownership of the houses. Who
>> is/are the Owners of these
>> houses? The daughter and the son-in-law? The CM or his wife?
>>
>> Why that matters are:
>>
>> A: The son-in-law and the daughter are US residents, if not citizens. He
>> probably earns enough, and she may too,
>> to add to a tidy amount to be able to get a pretty good sized loan for a
>> house in a high market value area like
>> Mountatin View, California and Cambridge, MA ( home to MIT and Harvard
>> etc.). But not so for  foreigners, like
>> Tarun Gogoi or his wife, UNLESS they also have US Permanent Resident Visas
>> ( Green Cards. They could
>> however. That would be interesting to know if they do. Somebody should ask
>> the CM that question.
>>
>> B: If they are not green-card holders, they probably bought them for cash.
>> There is no reason for the son-in-law or
>> daughter to purchase houses, on loan, for TG or his wife.  If any of these
>> houses were bought with cash ( not on loan), that
>> will be a good indication that someone other than the son-in-law or the
>> daughter provided the cash. Be it the CM , or his wife,
>> or some Hawala trader or some business owner or whoever.
>>
>> This could be easily verified from publicly available info. The
>> lien-holders' names will be on the Titles of these houses
>> if they are purchased with bank loans.
>>
>>
>> Finally, EVEN if these houses were bought for cash and  from corrupt
>> sources, the amounts are small fry, compared to those
>> talked about in reference to Himanta Sarma for one. I am sure there are
>> others. In that I agree with MM's view:
>>
>>        "See how large hearted he is!
>>        He allows his henchman to take 4000Crores  and he  keeps only 18
>> crores  as small tips."
>>
>>
>> Just kidding!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jan 8, 2011, at 11:52 PM, Nava Thakuria wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > Gogoi involved in embezzlement: KMSS
>> >
>> > GUWAHATI, Jan 8 – Peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti
>> today
>> > alleged that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is involved in embezzling the
>> public
>> > money of the State and part of the money laundered by him has been
>> siphoned off
>> > to the US to procure property there in the names of members of his
>> family.
>> >
>> >
>> > ‘Gogoi family has Rs 18-crore property in US’
>> > The peasant organisation also demanded a CBI inquiry into the allegation
>> and
>> > dared the Chief Minister to make a public statement on the source of the
>> money
>> > used in procuring property in the US.
>> >
>> > Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here this afternoon, KMSS
>> > secretary Akhil Gogoi alleged that the Chief Minister has several houses
>> in the
>> > US in the names of his wife Dolly Gogoi (12700 W Dodge Road, Omaha NE
>> 69154),
>> > daughter Chandrima Gogoi (701 Berry Ave, Los Angeles C A 94024) and
>> son-in-law
>> > Prasenjit Phukan (178 Ownes Ct Mountain View C A 94043; 143 Albany St,
>> Cambridge
>> > MA 02139 and Los Altos CA 94022).
>> >
>> > The money value of these houses when added together would be Rs 17, 88,
>> 45, 050.
>> > His daughter had declared while acquiring the property that her average
>> annual
>> > income was Rs 64, 42, 650, while her husband Prasenjit Phukan had made
>> three
>> > declarations stating that his average annual incomes were Rs 64, 42,
>> 650, Rs 34,
>> > 36,050 and Rs 72, 71, 250. Chief Minster's wife Dolly Gogoi declared
>> that her
>> > average annual income was Rs 29, 18, 650.
>> >
>> > The peasant organisation alleged that the Chief Minister requisitioned
>> the
>> > services of his 'scam-tainted' Ministerial colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma
>> to
>> > transfer part of the looted money to the US through hawala. This is why
>> the
>> > Chief Minister has so far been maintaining silence over the issue of
>> Himanta
>> > Biswa Sarma embezzling the public money of the State.
>> >
>> > The peasant organisation has collected the information concerning the US
>> > property of the Chief Minister's family by using the website intelius.
>> com, said
>> > the KMSS secretary.
>> >
>> > It has hit out at Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief
>> Bhubaneswar
>> > Kalita for his 'halfhearted approach' in the matter of the corruption
>> indulged
>> > in by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
>> >
>> > The peasant organisation is holding a massive demonstration against
>> corruption
>> > at the Dispur Last Gate from 11 am on January 10 and it has appealled to
>> all
>> > patriotic people to take part in the programme. Noted RTI activist
>> Arvind
>> > Kezriwal and national convenor of the National Alliance of People's
>> Movement Dr
>> > Sandip Pandey will take part in the demonstration, said the KMSS
>> secretary.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > GUWAHATI, Jan 8: Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Tarun
>> Gogoi,
>> > Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Akhil Gogoi today
>> gave a
>> > detailed account of property worth around Rs 18 crore in the form of
>> houses
>> > owned by the Chief Minister’s wife, daughter and son-in-law in the US.
>> The KMSS
>> > leader has dared the three to disclose their sources of income. He has
>> also
>> > demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter in order to unmask the truth.
>> > Addressing a press conference at the Guwahati Press Club today, the KMSS
>> leader
>> > said: “According to documents produced by Gogoi’s wife Dolly Gogoi and
>> daughter
>> > Chandrima Gogoi while purchasing one house each in the US, their annual
>> incomes
>> > are Rs 29.18 lakh and Rs 64.42 lakh respectively. Gogoi’s son-in-law
>> Prasenjit
>> > Phukan, however, showed three different annual incomes — Rs 64.42 lakh,
>> Rs 34.36
>> > lakh and Rs 72.71 lakh — while purchasing three different houses in the
>> US. I
>> > appeal to the three to make their sources of annual income public.”
>> > “We have no way out but to unmask the Chief Minister who has not paid
>> any heed
>> > to the deadline set by us for him to take action against his corrupt
>> Cabinet
>> > colleague, Himanta Biswa Sarma. It was followed by a 48-hour deadline
>> set by us
>> > for Gogoi to reply as to why he was not taking any action against the
>> corrupt
>> > minister though we had brought many corrupt practices of the minister to
>> light.
>> > We have to open our mouth today as the deadline set for the Chief
>> Minister is
>> > over,” Akhil Gogoi said, and added that minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was
>> the key
>> > man behind all the scams that had taken place during the tenure of Tarun
>> Gogoi.
>> > “Though we have exposed all the corrupt practices of Himanta Biswa
>> Sarma, Gogoi
>> > doesn’t take action against him as he is afraid of being unmasked if the
>> > minister opens his mouth.”
>> > The KMSS leader said: “Since when we have started our tirade against
>> corruption,
>> > people, including those staying abroad, have started to come on their
>> own and
>> > feed us with information. With the information received from NRIs, we
>> have
>> > approached the US embassy that has shown us the way to proceed. By
>> making online
>> > payment through a website (www.intelius.com) by credit cards, we have
>> got access
>> > to the documents of purchase of the houses by the family members of the
>> Chief
>> > Minister.”
>> > The KMSS leader further said that apprehensive of being blackmailed by
>> Himanta
>> > Biswa Sarma, Gogoi ‘‘is now trying to keep Sarma at a safe distance from
>> all
>> > matters relating to the State administration’’. Himanta Biswa Sarma,
>> according
>> > to the KMSS leader, is the key man behind sending the ill-gotten money
>> from the
>> > State to foreign countries through hawala. “We will soon file cases
>> against
>> > Sarma in the Supreme Court and the High Court,” he added.
>> >
>> > Coming down heavily on Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president
>> > Bhubaneswar Kalita, Akhil Gogoi said: “The Congress has failed to take
>> action
>> > against corrupt Himanta Biswa Sarma due to the weak leadership of
>> Kalita.” He
>> > also took a dig at the opposition parties by saying that despite the
>> KMSS
>> > exposing a large number of corrupt practices of the State Government,
>> the
>> > Opposition had failed to put adequate pressure on the government to act
>> against
>> > corrupt ministers.
>> > Meanwhile, reacting to Akhil Gogoi’s revelations, AGP president Chandra
>> Mohan
>> > Patowary said: “Last year, the Chief Minister had announced that his
>> government
>> > would construct houses for flood- and erosion-affected people of the
>> State.
>> > Though the erosion-affected people have not got the promised houses,
>> Gogoi has
>> > successfully built a number of houses in the US. This is the real man
>> hiding
>> > within ‘clean’ Gogoi.”
>> >
>> > Akhil dares CM to reveal assets- RTI activist demands CBI inquiry
>> >
>> > Akhil Gogoi shows a photograph of Tarun Gogoi’s property in the US at
>> the press
>> > conference. Picture by Eastern Projections
>> >
>> > Guwahati, Jan. 8: Peasant leader and RTI activist Akhil Gogoi today
>> claimed that
>> > family members and relatives of chief minister Tarun Gogoi possessed
>> property
>> > worth over Rs 17 crore in the US and dared the latter to make public the
>> sources
>> > of the assets, including five houses.
>> > Akhil, also the general secretary of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity
>> (KMSS), said
>> > there were five houses in the name of the chief minister’s wife Dolly
>> Gogoi,
>> > daughter Chandrima and son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan at different
>> locations in the
>> > US.
>> >
>> > “The information collected by us showed that there was a house in the
>> name of
>> > Dolly Gogoi at Omaha and another at Los Altos in his daughter’s name.
>> Three
>> > houses in the name of his son-in-law Prasenjit Phukan are located at
>> Cambridge,
>> > Mountain View and Los Altos. We have strong suspicion that the property
>> was
>> > procured with public money and hence we dare the chief minister to let
>> the
>> > people of Assam know the source. We also demand a CBI inquiry into the
>> assets,”
>> > Akhil Gogoi said at a press conference.
>> > Giving details and producing photographs of the houses, Akhil said the
>> People’s
>> > Interest Research Group, formed by the KMSS, collected the information
>> with the
>> > help of the American embassy and an information commerce company,
>> intelius.com,
>> > which provides consumers and businesses with predictive intelligence for
>> > important decisions.
>> > The chief minister’s office said Gogoi would comment after his return
>> from New
>> > Delhi. Media adviser Debo Bora told The Telegraph, “The chief minister
>> will
>> > react once he is back.”
>> > Akhil alleged that huge corruption had taken place during Gogoi’s
>> tenure. “The
>> > Congress high command, including Sonia Gandhi, has been claiming that
>> the party
>> > is committed to fight corruption but we have seen no action against
>> Gogoi,
>> > health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other ministers involved in
>> scams in
>> > Dima Hasao district, Karbi Anglong and other departments,” the RTI
>> activist
>> > said.
>> > Akhil, also the recipient of two national RTI awards, said they would
>> launch a
>> > massive campaign against the Tarun Gogoi government ahead of the
>> forthcoming
>> > Assembly elections.
>> > “We will organise a dharna and observe a hatred day on Monday at Dispur
>> Last
>> > Gate to protest the massive corruption. Activist Sandip Pandey and Arvin
>> > Kejriwal will take part and we request all concerned citizens to join us
>> and
>> > protest the corruption of the Congress government in Assam,” he said.
>> > Akhil said four cases would be filed against Himanta Biswa Sarma and
>> Tarun Gogoi
>> > in the Supreme Court and Gauhati High court soon relating to
>> disproportionate
>> > assets and criminal cases.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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