Patna: Bihar’s chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Rs10 billion scam involving the transfer of government funds to the accounts of a non-government organisation (NGO) even as the opposition sought his resignation for a fair inquiry into the case.
Kumar made recommendation after holding a high-level review meeting with top officials on late Thursday evening. “The scam has revealed the involvement of nationalised banks, government officials and employees. Hence the chief minister has decided to hand over the case to the CBI,” a statement issued by the government said on Thursday.
The announcement is being said to be part of the government’s strategy to neutralise the move of the opposition, who had been seeking a CBI probe into the issue.
Experts, however, term it a smart move by the chief minister to ward of routine attacks from the opposition. They say the million-dollar question now is whether the CBI will take over the case as the country’s premier investigating agency is already burdened with many such cases.
And in at least in three such cases, the agency is yet to conclude its investigation even after four or five years.
They include the private army’s self-proclaimed chief, Barmeshwar Singh Mukhia, murder case; the 12-year-old schoolgirl Navaruna Chakravarty’s murder case’ and journalist Rajdeo Ranjan’s murder case.
Until now, the scam was being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police’s. In the case against Bhagalpur-based NGO Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti, the SIT has so far arrested 10 persons including the stenographer of Bhagalpur DM.
The gravity of the situation is underlined by the fact that the scam that initially was thought to be worth Rs2-3 billion when probed — investigations began on August 8 — hit the Rs10 billion mark.
The opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), headed by Lalu Prasad Yadav, alleged the scam is worth Rs1,500 billion and sought the immediate resignation of the chief minister and his deputy, Sushil Kumar Modi.
“The chief minister has no moral right to continue in office even for a second. When he can break the alliance with the Grand Alliance just over a case registered against his former deputy [Tejashwi Yadav], why has he constantly refused to resign when such a big scandal surfaced in his government?” asked former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) parliamentarian Jagadanand Singh at a press conference on Thursday, mocking the chief minister’s claim of “political ethics”.
“His claim of ethics and morality is fake. While he seeks resignations of his cabinet colleagues for even little charges pending against them, the chief minister himself has brazenly continued [his stint] in office despite the fact that the entire scam flourished [during] his tenure and [with] his full knowledge,” he alleged.
He said the chief minister couldn’t escape from his responsibility of the scam. “He [Kumar] being in charge of the personnel ministry, had posted officials in the Bhagalpur district (where the scam took place) including treasury officer whose role in the scam has now been established,” he asserted.
