Former Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat has again come under the scanner of investigative agency as the State Government has ordered a probe into Uttarakhand Seed & Tarai Vikas Nigam (TDC) scam. The investigative team comprises of four members led by additional chief secretary Ranveer Singh.
Sources said that many more cases may be lodged in the coming days because CM Harish Rawat is out to send message among the people ahead of the election that he would no longer brook corruption. He has thrown enough hints and now the noose seems to be tightening around the neck of the mercurial politician Harak Singh Rawat.
The matter pertains to 2015-16 when Harak Singh Rawat was the Agriculture Minister and chairman of TDC as well. During that period, TDC had produced 2,93,422 quintal wheat seed. later, its quality degraded due to alleged negligence in its production and its storage. Due to this, UP and Bihar, which are its regular buyers , had returned the seed to TDC. Thereafter, TDC had sold the seed without following norms. Things have been proved in two investigations made so far.
Ironically, in the recently concluded two day Vidhan Sabha session, BJP MlA Rajesh Shukla sought to bring a call attention motion on the matter. But things did not go this way because of the bedlam rocking the House.
It is known to all concerned that Harak Singh Rawat was greatly attached to TDC. As he occupied the post of agriculture minister he had become chairman of TDC by removing FRDC in August 2012. Thereafter when the matter came into the media glare he had to resign in May 2013 as the post of the TDC chairman post comes under office of profit. later, as the then CM Vijay Bahuguna had struck off the post from the list of offices of profit Harak came back to the post in April 2015.
There is also Sahaspur land scam dangling over Harak. The matter was raked up during BJP regime when Harak was the leader of the Opposition. However, he managed to wriggle himself out of it. Now the matter has been revived as the House passed the Benami sampatti (anonymous property) bill-2016. Meanwhile, police have lodged an FIR against a close confidante of Harak Singh Rawat.
What is more, the state government has cancelled all the appointments made in horticulture department when Harak was the minister. State government has also removed all those holding important posts who are deemed close to the former minister through UPNl. Furthermore, the state government has also constituted inquiries against all the four Mandi committees chairmen, known close to Harak.