Chief Minister Harish Rawat rubbished Union Cabinet Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s allegation that the State Government had allotted Fl-2 to a private trader in preference to a public undertaking, while claiming that just the reverse was happening in the State.
“Previously, what the BJP leader has said was true. But now, we are giving things to the public undertakings,” he averred. He further said he had asked DGP to procure the CD which BJP leaders are sporting to nail him in the matter and to send it to the forensic department for verification of its authenticity. “Once we receive the report the question of taking action against the guilty officer would arise,” CM said.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said the Chief Minister should suspend the Secretary to CM Mohammad Shahid immediately in the light of things that are hogging headlines across the country.
Passing the blame onto BJP’s courtyard, Rawat said it was the saffron party that had given the Fl-2 to private players when it was in power. “We made some minor alterations in the existing Fl-2 policy and also in the country- made liquor policy. We have made it mandatory for 5 per cent of country liquor being produced on the ingredients produced in the hills of the State.
We have given Fl-2 to Uttarakhand Agriculture Produce Marketing Council (APMC), Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN). All these three bodies are being controlled by the State Government,” he said, adding that these facts negate Sitharaman’s allegation of private players being involved in lieu of bribes.
“As we have involved public sector undertakings in bulk trade of liquor the sting CD showing personal secretary to CM Md Shahid demanding money on behalf of the Chief Minister from someone to be awarded the Fl-2 license must be fake. However, taking the matter seriously, we have asked DGP to procure the CD and send it to Forensic lab for authentication,” Rawat said.
CM asked Sitharaman to divulge details about the CD. “They must clarify where the deal was struck. Besides, it is unclear when the CD was made and who made the deal. Things are mired in vagueness. We cannot take action against an honest official in a hurry. We would wait for the Forensic lab report to clear the mists first,” he said.
Tearing further into BJP, CM said the whole episode might have been concocted to deflect people’s attention from the graft cases bedevilling BJP Governments in a string of States with the Parliamentary session drawing near.
He further said the licence to sell liquor is being allotted through transparent lottery system for years. “This has left no room for the government or anybody manipulating things for money or otherwise,” he added.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary Personnel, Radha Raturi has categorically claimed that no Personal secretary to CM and Secretary Excise Mohammad Shahid has not been suspended. Even we have not sent any communiqué regarding his suspension to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) so whatever news is being circulated or being aired in the media is completely wrong.