The Centre on Tuesday rejected Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati’s allegation that the government was misusing CBI against her in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam probe. Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said, “CBI does its work on the basis of proofs. There is no need to draw any other conclusion (from the agency’s actions).”
Earlier in the day BSP supremo Mayawati accused the BJP-led government of misusing CBI after the agency decided to question her on the multi-crore NRHM scam nearly four years after it surfaced and said the move reeked of “political vendetta”. She said, “I have no connection with the NRHM scam.
The BJP, which is trying to use CBI, should give up such tactics as such attempt has cost them dearly earlier. Meanwhile, CBI Director Anil Sinha said the agency will proceed as per requirement in the NRHM scam probe. “The agency will proceed as per the demand of the investigation,” Sinha told the media but refused to give any details of what was the requirement for examining Mayawati after filing 48 charge sheets in the NRHM scam.
CBI had called Mayawati on Monday for examination on two specific issues related to NRHM scam – bifurcation of Health and Family Welfare <g data-gr-id="29">Department,</g> and the appointment of District Project Officers considered key to the scam. The move was an attempt to unravel a larger conspiracy in the case, CBI sources claimed. A number of mysterious deaths of government medical officers had also marked the scam.
Mayawati claimed this action only reeks of political vendetta. She said before a CBI officer called me, the news that “I could be questioned in the NRHM scam was leaked to the media in a bid to demoralise <g data-gr-id="27">me and my party workers</g> ahead of Bihar Assembly elections.” She said such tactics of misleading the people will not help the BJP in any way.