• NET Web Desk

The Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) scam in Sikkim which it claimed involved huge amount of money.

As per the state BJP President – D.B. Chauhan, the vigilance probe ordered by the chief minister in the MCX scam is unlikely to take the investigation to its logical conclusion as the accused persons who are based outside Sikkim have twisted and abused the personal data of Sikkimese people in order to generate money.

The party has already lodged an FIR on the issue at the sadar police station here, he said.

Addressing the mediapersons, Chauhan remarked that “the vigilance department’s jurisdiction is relatively narrow, whereas this scheme has a much broader scope. As a result, we are calling for a CBI investigation into the situation. It appears to be a great con, as unknown outsiders have taken use of the amenities provided by the Indian government to the people of Sikkim in order to profit handsomely.”

However, the Sikkimey Nagarik Samaj (SNS) has sent a petition to the Enforcement Directorate, requesting an immediate probe into the “extraordinary” increase in Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX) transactions from Sikkim-based traders.

Sikkim’s MCX trade stake for February alone was above 6 billion dollars, or roughly Rs 46,000 crore.

According to estimates, the number of Sikkim-based traders on the MCX has climbed to 2217 this year, as compared to 674 in February 2020.

The MCX traders based in other states have taken advantage of the tax exemption granted to the people of Sikkim to transact MCX trade by exploiting personal information of local people to make large sums of money.