Shillong: Rajya Sabha MP Dr. WR Kharlukhi on Thursday refuted corruption allegations made by a YouTuber, asserting his innocence and transparency in handling the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) funds. Dr. Kharlukhi has filed a case with the cyber crime police regarding these accusations.
The YouTuber had claimed that Dr. Kharlukhi misappropriated MPLADS funds. In response, the MP welcomed any investigation and expressed his willingness to resign if any corruption is found in the implementation of his MP scheme.
“If anybody has proof and if anybody comes and gives it to the press that I have taken any amount, I myself will write to the government and ask for a CBI enquiry and I am ready to go to jail. You can go to the villages, if they say at least this work was not done by them, it was done by Dr. Kharlukhi’s man, I will resign that day (as MP),” he stated.
Dr. Kharlukhi emphasized his commitment to transparency and his refusal to allow anyone to defame him. He explained that the MPLADS funds only started being allocated to him for 2022-2023, as no funds were given during the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon receiving a letter from the Dorbar, he would recommend the schemes to the nodal officer (deputy commissioner), who would then forward them to the Block Development Officers (BDOs) for fund release to the beneficiaries, including village dorbars and organizations.
He noted a change in the system for 2023-2024, with the scheme funds now being released directly by the Parliament to the district officers and BDOs.
Dr. Kharlukhi stated that he has fully implemented the Rs 5 crore sanctioned under the MP scheme for 2022-2023, and the funds for 2023-2024 have only recently reached the beneficiaries due to delays caused by the general elections to the Lok Sabha.
When asked if the video was politically motivated, Dr. Kharlukhi refrained from speculating but stressed that individuals making such allegations should have accurate facts and figures.
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