The Jan Sangharsh Morcha (JSM) has declared that it will “expose” the allegedly shady dealings of those involved in the sting operation on Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The JSM has also demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation should conduct an inquiry on the persons involved in the sting operations.
Addressing the media here on Monday, JSM chief and former vice chairman of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Raghunath Singh Negi alleged that those who had conducted the sting operation with involvement of politicians had attempted to destabilize the State to the detriment of Uttarakhand. Targetting Umesh Sharma of a television news channel for carrying out the sting, Negi said that those allegedly involved in about a dozen cases of crimes including blackmail in the past are now talking of the State’s welfare. He alleged, “Former Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat also got involved in this sting operation conspiracy for his political gains while MlA Madan Singh Bisht is also active in another sting. The JSM would have respected the sting had it been carried out by honest well-wishers of the State and its people. In a letter sent to the Central Bureau of Investigation, I have stated that JSM had earlier demanded intervention by the Raj Bhawan and chief minister in cases of public interest and revenue theft amounting to crores of rupees. In absence of proactive action, we then filed public interest litigation in the High Court of Uttarakhand on the issues. At that time, a court ordered inquiry was conducted by the police DIG of Garhwal on my past record and income in which I was issued a clean chit. Despite this, my petitions were rejected by the court stating that being a politician, I had filed the PIls for political gain. Following the high court directions, the JSM is now demanding that the CBI conduct an inquiry into the history of those involved in the sting operation in order to safeguard interests of the State and its people,” he said, adding that the JSM will pursue the fight in the court of law if the CBI doesn’t conduct an inquiry on those involved in the sting operation.