Accusing the State government of being lax, the chief spokesperson of Uttarakhand Congress Garima Dasauni has said that the chief accused of the horticulture scam H S Baweja has fled to Himachal Pradesh. Questioning the role of the Horticulture minister Ganesh Joshi in the episode, Dasauni claimed that he hatched a conspiracy which allowed Baweja to flee from Uttarakhand.

She said that Joshi, who is the departmental minister, tried his best to save the skin of Baweja with steps that include approaching the Supreme Court to challeng the order of the High Court for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. 

Launching an attack on the State government, Dasauni said that the entire episode shows that Jungle Raj is prevalent in the State. She said that Baweja should have been relieved by the administration but instead of this he has written a letter to the chief secretary and has gone to Himachal Pradesh. 

 She said that on the complaints of gross irregularities in the purchase of saplings of fruit trees and involvement of senior officers including Baweja and an MLA, the Uttarakhand HC had ordered a CBI probe in the horticulture scam. Dasauni said that it is unfortunate that the BJP government which boasts of a zero tolerance on corruption challenged the HC order in the SC. She said that the government’s motive was to save Baweja and the minister but it failed and the CBI inquiry has started into the scam. The Congress leader said Baweja has fled from the State which will affect the investigation.