Opposition Congress on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the alleged corruption and recovery of unaccounted cash to the tune of crores of rupees from the office and officers of Food, Civil Supplies department in the State.
During a discussion on the admissibility of the adjournment motion on the issue, Congress member Bhupesh Baghel demanded that the diary and details of phone recording available with the officers of Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) should be provided to the House.
However, Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal rejected the adjournment motion after the discussion and reply given by Chief Minister Raman Singh. The Congress members later shouted slogans in the House while forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House for 10 minutes.
Immediately after the Question Hour, Congress members and Independent member Dr Vimal Chopra demanded for discussion on admissibility of adjournment motion. The Speaker informed that notice for adjournment motion had been given by 35 members including Bhupesh Baghel, TS Singhdeo and Vimal Chopra.
Baghel alleged that Chief Minister Raman Singh had lured people by giving rice at Rs3 per kg after 2003. The scheme for providing rice at subsidised rate soon became corrupt, he said. The State Government did not take any action in the corruption issues. At the time of previous Assembly election, the Government issued 70 lakh ration cards against 56 lakh families in the State, the Congress member stated.
He further alleged that 14 lakh fake ration cards were being used by the department for corrupt practices. The amount involved in the corrupt practice in the Food and Civil Supplies department was to the tune of Rs130 crore per month, he claimed.
Baghel alleged that ACB officials had recovered a diary in the raids conducted on February 12, this year. The diary had details of transactions, names in code language etc and names of some officers and leaders.
The ACB had also tapped the conversations. Despite having enough details and evidences, the State Government had suspended only a few officers, the Congress member said. Baghel alleged that the State Government was sheltering a number of senior officers and Ministers in the case. He also raised doubt on the ACB officers and said that the diary and the tape should be made available to the House.
Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Punnulal Mohle refuted the charges and said that action had been taken against the accused. “Case has also been registered against the accused under Prevention of Corruption Act,” he said. Mohle said that the Government has adopted the “zero tolerance policy” on corruption and not sheltering any person. The guilty would not be spared, he said.