NEW DELHI: A day after Central Bureau of Investigation asked Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to join probe into multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in Uttar Pradesh, she alleged on Tuesday that decision to question her four years after the scam came to light only reeks of “political vendetta”. The scam took place during Mayawati’s regime between 2007 and 2012.
The agency had asked former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to join the probe in connection with the case on Monday in a bid to unearth the larger conspiracy into the Rs 10,000 crore NRHM scam.
Accusing the BJP-led government of “misusing” CBI, Mayawati questioned the CBI’s move to grill her after four years the scam it surfaced. She also claimed that she had no connection with the scam and CBI is free to investigate her.
But the Centre rejected Mayawati’s allegation, saying CBI does its work on the basis of proofs. “CBI does its work on the basis of proofs. There is no need to draw any other conclusion,” Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said over Mayawati’s allegation.
Mayawati said that CBI’s move against her was an attempt to demoralise her party and divert attention from the failure of the government to fulfill its promises made to the people. “It was an attempt to demoralise me and my party workers ahead of Bihar assembly elections,” she alleged
“I have no connection with the NRHM scam. BJP, which is trying to use CBI, should give up such tactics as such attempts have cost them dearly earlier. I warn BJP to give up such deeds. Congress had also tried such tricks to divert attention from its failures of governance,” she added.
She also said she came to know that CBI will question her in the NRHM scam through media first. She alleged that before CBI called her asking to join the probe, the news of her being called for questioning was leaked to the media.
“I do not succumb to pressure, I do not bend,” she said. Explaining her stand on the issue, Mayawati said the decision was taken by her cabinet and subsequent decisions on appointing two chief medical officers in every district was taken by the concerned minister Babulal Kushwaha. Kushwaha was arrested on March 3, 2012 and is still languishing in jail. Kushwaha has recently moved the apex court seeking bail, which was dismissed on February 13, with the court saying the allegations against him were very serious and it was a good case for dismissal.
In the meantime, the CBI director Anil Sinha said the agency “will proceed as per requirement” in the scam probe.He, however, refused to give any details of why they called Mayawati for questioning.
The agency is likely to question her for her role into bifurcation of Health and Family Welfare Department and for appointment of District Project Officers.
The agency had filed 74 cases related to the scam and so far has filed charge sheets in 48 cases. As many as six people had died or were allegedly murdered in an attempt to cover up the large-scale irregularities in the case.
The scam came to light with the murder of two Chief Medical Officers of Family welfare -- Dr V K Arya in 2010 and Dr B P Singh in 2011 – and a deputy Chief Medical Officer Y.S. Sachan. Sachan was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the district jail of Lucknow.