National People’s Party (NPP) state working president Marcuise Marak said that the allegations of sugar being illegally smuggled to Bangladesh were made to score political points ahead of the general election to the Lok Sabha.
“There is a system in the government. If illegal things are being exported to Bangladesh, there’s a system and Customs and the BSF (Border Security Force) are monitoring the border,” Marak said today. “I think it was unnecessarily raised during the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. The Chief Minister also has taken steps to stop such illegalities.”
Tonnes of sugar were routinely seized by the BSF along the international border. But the issue was brought spectacularly to the fore by the collapse of a bridge in Garo Hills under the weight of two heavily-laden trucks transporting sugar for smuggling over the border.
Marak refuted the claim that the government was a mute spectator to the smuggling, saying that such accusations were made to hurt the NPP at the polls.
