Whistleblower Rajiv Bhatia gets persecuted in Modi govt’s ‘Amrit Kaal’
New Delhi: The Congress party cornered Modi government over a massive scam worth hundreds of crores of rupees through the sale of subsidised steel by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in which about 100 companies were provided steel on subsidised prices for infrastructure projects, but they sold it further making huge profits.
Senior party leader and former MP Dr Ajoy Kumar disclosed that an officer Rajiv Bhatia, who flagged the scam, was instead victimised and forced to take voluntary retirement.
Giving details, Dr Ajoy disclosed that 100 companies were provided eleven lakh tons of steel at subsidised price by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) for infrastructure projects. He said, instead of using the steel themselves, they straightway sold it further thus making huge profits. He said, when an honest officer Rajiv Bhatia exposed the scandal, he was suspended for 10 months without any valid reason. Later, he was deliberately accused of poor performance and involvement in corruption. Dr Kumar further pointed out that, on the other hand, over two dozen officials who had been suspended during the investigation of the scam were reinstated under the pretext of the Lok Sabha elections.
Dr Ajoy Kumar revealed that one of the companies, Venkatesh Infra Projects Limited, was registered just ten days before the allotment of contract worth Rs 750 crore. The company directly sold the steel received under the contract, making a profit of about Rs 80 to 90 crore. He said, while the company made the profits, the transportation charges were paid by the SAIL.
Wondering what were enforcement agencies like ED doing, Dr Ajoy pointed out that it had initiated investigations against 25 Opposition leaders, 23 of whom joined the BJP, after which cases against them were either closed or shelved. He cited the examples of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Praful Patel, Ashok Chavan in this context.
