Nine of the ministers in former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government known to be `Nauratna’ (nine jewels) of Mayawati faced trouble when the sleuths of the Vigilance Establishment tightened their nose by recommending prosecution against three of them, besides cases of disproportionate assets and irregularities to be lodged v against six others which included than leader of Opposition in State Assembly, Ram Achal Rajbhar against whom a FIR has been already registered in the Ambedkarnagar district.
The move of Vigilance Establishment particularly on direction of state government holds significance as all the Opposition Parties included Samajwadi Party and BSP were contemplating early Parliament elections and grave charges of corruption and arrest of close lieutenant of Mayawati will definitely hit her Party’s prospect. It may be mentioned that four of the former ministers against whom Vigilance Department initiated action are already behind bars in another multi-crore rupees scam in the lACCFED which is probed by sleuths of the Special Investigation
Bureau (SIB) of the Cooperative Cell of the State police. Besides half a dozen more former ministers of Mayawati are also facing serious charges in the lACCFED scam and may also found them behind bars any time.
Sources said that State Government soon after completing one year in office summoned officers of Vigilance Establishment in the end of March and gave them clear direction that enquiries (open enquiry) pending against the former ministers of Mayawati Government should be expedited and dispose off in time bound manner so that further appropriate legal proceedings could be made against them. The message was loud and clear that the Government wanted that a message should go that they will not compromise on corruption front particularly in taking action against the close lieutenants of Mayawati.
Sources further confirmed that despite of facing acute staff crunch, DGP of the Vigilance Establishment,. OP Dixit reportedly formed special teams and geared up the sleuths to finish the target at earliest. Though OP Dixit when contacted on Monday refused to speak on the issue but sources in the government confirmed that within a month of direction of the government, Vigilance Establishment almost gave final touches to all the probes against nine of the ministers of BSP regime which included Babu Singh Kushwaha who now parted ways with Mayawati and is presently lodged in Ghaziabad jail in connection with multi-crore rupees scam in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
Amonst those against whom Vigilance sought prosecution sanction order included Rangnath Mishra, Awadhpal Yadav and Badshah Singh. While Rangnath Mishra was found to be involved in grabbing Gram Samaj land, making irregularities in sanctioning recognition to colleges, misuse of MlA’s fund etc besides having disproportionate assets worth Rs 6.04 crore more than his known resources just between 2007-12, Awadh Pal was involved in huge corruption in construction of vieteniary hospitals, grabbing gram samaj land and other properties etc by misusing his powers. Similarly Badhshah Singh also found to be grabbing government lands mainly prime properties along national highways.
Prominent against whom Vigilance Establishment already collected strong evidences of huge disproportionate assets and now just wanted Government’s sanction to register case and take further legal action them included Naseemudeen Siddiqui, Chandra Dev Ram Yadav, Babu Singh Kushwaha, Rakesh Dhar Tripathi, Rambir Upadhya while case was already registered against BSP State president, Ram Achal Rajbhar at Ambedkarnagar and very soon he will be also charge-sheeted after taking prosecution sanction order. The maximum corruption charges were establishment against Naseemudeen Siddiqui who earned 1947 percent more income than all his known resources while Rambir Upadhya, and over half a dozen of his family members had earned 58 properties after illegally using land use changes by misusing his official powers. Babu Singh Kushwaha beside corruption charges also found to have used fake degrees and even his names which also included disclosure made by him while filing nominations papers. Along with Babu Singh Kushwaha, vigilance sleuths also recommended action against more than half a dozen officials of Mining Department who connived with the than minister to mint huge sum.