In a relief to the State Government facing flak from the Opposition with the CBI dragging its feet for too long a time regarding the probe into the NH-74 land acquisition scam, the premier Central investigating agency has finally given its nod to take up the probe.
Stating this in the Assembly on Wednesday during the ongoing Budget session, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the CBI having accepted the probe, recommended by him soon after he assumed charge as the CM, would help the Rs 240 crore scam being unearthed and those embroiled in it being brought to justice.
"They have intimated their acceptance to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT)," the CM said. Notably, the matter had rocked the House on the first day of the Budget session on June 8 with the Opposition tearing hard into the Centre and the State Government with CBI dithering under the purported pressure from the Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari.
Mention worthy, soon after the CM had recommended a CBI enquiry into the scam, Gadkari had shot off a letter to the CM, asking him not to press for the CBI probe with the possibility of such a probe demoralising the NH officials engaged in several works in the State.
The CM had announced his decision to refer the scam to CBI while talking to the mediapersons in Dehradun a few days after he had assumed the reins of the State following his meeting with then Kumaon Commissioner D Senthil Pandian who had earlier investigated the case.
The CM had said the State's investigating agency was incompetent to probe the scam, given its wide dimensions. Significantly, Pandian had been transferred a few days ago during the major administrative reshuffle, the first one after the new Government assumed charge, an issue that the Opposition used up to the hilt to embarrass the State Government while casting doubt over its intention.
Observers said the CBI having finally agreed to take up the probe was partly thanks to the CM insisting on the probe while making repeated presentations to the Centre and meeting the party's national president Amit Shah and partly thanks to the Opposition throwing jibes at 'zero tolerance for corruption' rhetoric of the state government.
While welcoming the CBI's decision to take up the probe, the leader of the Opposition and veteran Congress leader Indira Hridayesh said the credit must go to the Congress which had mounted tremendous pressure on the Centre and the State Government in and out of the Assembly on the sensitive issue.
However, sources in the State Government said the investigation being taken to its logical conclusion would bring several politicians and bureaucrats under its ambit. "The leaders to be brought under the focus of the investigation might be from both Congress and BJP. In case Congress leaders are implicated it might further exacerbate the factional squabbling in the state Congress unit to the disadvantage to the leader of the Opposition," said a State watcher.