BJP govt gives its CM a clean chit in U’khand seed scam

DEHRADUN: The Bharatiya Janata Party government gave chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat a clean chit over a seeds scam in a report that it tabled in the assembly minutes before it was adjourned sine die on Thursday.

The allegations relate to when Rawat was the agriculture minister and say that a number of officials in his department were involved in the purchase of Dhencha seeds at 50% inflated rates. The seeds are used as fodder.

A committee was set up by former Congress chief minister Vijay Bahuguna in the scam.

The panel later submitted its report to the Congress government.

The committee indicted then agriculture minister (incumbent chief minister) Rawat, former secretary, agriculture Ranbeer Singh and then director, agriculture Madan Lal in the Dhencha seed scam.

“Later, an action taken report on the Tripathi commission that gave a clean chit to Rawatji (former chief minister) and then agriculture secretary (Ranbeer Singh) was submitted to the Congress government”, cabinet minister Madan Kaushik said.

“It (Congress government), however, reverted the report to the officials concerned directing them to further inquire into the charges”, he told HT.

But the report was attacked by the Congress, which said it was an “attempt on the part of this (BJP) government to save the big fish and make the middle and lower level employees scapegoats”.

Congress legislator Qazi Nizamuddin alleged the action recommended in the ATR against the lower grade officials is just an eyewash, which was aimed to save the big fish involved in the Dhencha seed scam.