BSY, Sriramulu, Bommai, Dr Sudhakar likely to face ‘COVID-19 scam’ heat
BENGALURU: With the Medical Education Department filing an FIR against many officials and private companies for their involvement in the alleged irregularities in procuring PPE kits, N95 masks and other medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the then chief minister BS Yediyurappa and health minister B Sriramulu are likely to face trouble.
Besides Yediyurappa, his successor Basavaraj Bommai and Dr K Sudhakar, who was health minister then, may also face the heat, according to sources. The Congress government may soon set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an IGP or ADGP rank officer to probe the alleged multi-crore scam.
“As FIRs would be filed in different cases, it is better to set up the SIT to conduct a comprehensive probe into the alleged irregularities. There was a plan to do so as the cabinet had taken a decision (on November 14),” Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters on Saturday.
Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil told reporters in Kalaburagi that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, DCM DK Shivakumar and Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara will take a decision on the formation of SIT.
“There is no political vendetta (against BJP leaders) in this regard as the government is only doing its job as people suffered a lot during the pandemic because of mismanagement,” he said.
In New Delhi, former CM Jagadish Shettar termed the Congress government’s move as vendetta politics. “Investigations into MUDA and ST Corporation scams had exposed the Congress government and Siddaramaiah was about to resign as CM. To target BJP, the Congress government got the FIR filed in the alleged irregularities in procurement of medical kits during the pandemic.
This, however, will not stand legal scrutiny as action has been taken based on the interim report of Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission,” he said.
The D’Cunha commission, which probed the alleged irregularities, especially procurement of three lakh PPE kits from China, recommended prosecution of Yediyurappa and Sriramulu.
The report stated that the state’s exchequer incurred a loss of Rs 167 crore because of the alleged irregularities. On November 14, the Siddaramaiah cabinet decided to set up the SIT, besides a seven-member cabinet sub-committee headed by Shivakumar to look into the matter.
“When PPE kits were available for Rs 330 to Rs 400 per unit locally, three lakh of them were bought for Rs 2,117 per unit from China,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil had stated, citing the commission’s report.
Shivakumar, who held a meeting with Dr Sharan Prakash Patil and other members of the committee on December 7, had said that those involved in the alleged irregularities in procurement of medical kits during the pandemic will not be spared.
He had also stated that criminal proceedings will be initiated against the accused.