Guwahati:
A prime accused in the multi-crore NC Hills scam case, Mohet Hojai, has filed his nomination papers from jail for the Assam Assembly elections representing a regional party.
On behalf of Hojai, his party Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) president Rathindra Thaosen submitted his nomination papers yesterday for the Haflong constituency.
The ASDC is an ally of the main opposition Assam Gana Parishad (AGP).
Hojai, arrested in 2009, was charged in a court by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the N C Hills
Autonomous District Council financial scam case.
In its second chargesheet submitted in the court of the special judge in Guwahati on October 18, the NIA had stated that elected members of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) had siphoned off government funds to the proscribed Dima Halam Daogah-Jewel Garlosa faction (DHD-J).
Politician Mohet Hojai was among the 16 people chargesheeted by the NIA. The other accused include the then social welfare department deputy director R H Khan, contractor Jibangshu Paul and DHD-J chief Jewel Garolosa.
Hojai's candidature has been viewed by the ruling Congress as weakening the AGP's pledge to make the scam a poll issue against the Congress.
"The AGP has joined hands with the ASDC, which has nominated the prime accused in the scam as its candidate. Thereby, the AGP is tacitly supporting the whole dirty game," a senior Congress leader asserted.