NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation questioned Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday in connection with with an investigation into the sting operation where allegedly rebel Congress leaders alleged that Rawat tried to woo them with money to win their support.
He reached at the agency headquarters in Delhi at around 11 am and left after 2 pm. The agency had called Rawat for grilling as during his questioning on May 24, he had not answered certain queries to the satisfaction of the probe team.
The CBI officer also said that Rawat could not furnish full and complete detail on many issue. “He will be called again for questioning,” the officer said.
Rawat had rubbished the claims saying he had fully cooperated with the investigators. “Whenever the agency will call me for questioning I will eagerly join the probe. It is conspiracy by opposition party against our state government. I am sure CBI will find nothing in this case,” he said while coming out of the CBI headquarters.
Earlier, he was grilled for eight hours at the agency headquarters on May 24.
Last month, the agency had rejected the state government's notification withdrawing the nod for probing the case which was given during President's Rule. The Uttarakhand High Court also did not stay the CBI probe as requested by Rawat.
CBI had said the notification was rejected after taking legal opinion, which said there was no ground for its withdrawal and it was “not legally tenable”.
CBI had registered a Preliminary Enquiry on April 29 to probe the "sting operation" showing Rawat offering bribes to rebel Congress lawmakers to support him during a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
Uttarakhand’s rebel Congress MLAs had released a video showing Rawat offering them bribes for support during a floor test in the assembly. The CD was released by rebel nine Congress leaders led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who claimed Rawat had tried to win their support by offering money. Rawat however had called the video fake.
The agency had also questioned a journalist as part of its preliminary enquiry. Umesh Kumar, the journalist allegedly involved in the sting operation, was also questioned by the agency for nearly two and half hours at the CBI headquarters.