M A I N   N E W S

CBI raids on axed Maya minister’s residence, office
Shahira Naim/TNS

CBI officials after a raid at Babu Singh Kushwaha’s Lucknow home on Wednesday. — PTI

Lucknow, January 4
A day after Mayawati government’s former Health Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, the key accused in the multi-crore NRHM scam, joined the BJP, the CBI conducted raids reportedly at 60 places across five cities, including Kushwaha’s residence.

Probing the alleged bungling in utilising Rs 10,000 crore Central funds allocated to the state under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the CBI raided several houses and commercial establishments owned by Kushwaha and his associates, including legislator Ram Chandra Pradhan.

The raids continued in 12 districts covering Lucknow, Kanpur, Moradabad, Ghaziabad and Agra besides the upmarket Hazratganj office premises of a newly launched Hindi daily allegedly owned by Kushwaha. The NRHM funds to the tune of about Rs 10,000 crore were allocated to Uttar Pradesh for the period 2005-06 till date by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

The irregularities n NRHM funds to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore were allocated to Uttar Pradesh. The funds were channelled through CMOs of 72 districts and other nodal offices n The works were executed through several state public sector undertakings and a large network of dubious contractors and firms owned by Kushwaha’s cronies.

The funds were channelled through Chief Medical Officers of 72 districts in the state and other nodal offices, including the department of family welfare, medical health and training and various other schemes. The works were executed through several state public sector undertakings and a large network of dubious contractors and firms owned by the minister’s cronies.

The Central agency is also investigating the broad daylight murder of two chief medical officers and the mysterious custodial death of a deputy CMO in Lucknow jail last year. All the deaths are linked with irregularities in the implementation of the NRHM between 2009 and 2011.

Following these developments, Kushwaha, then Mayawati government’s minister handling health and family welfare, was unceremoniously removed in April last for his alleged involvement in the financial bungling in the NRHM. He was later expelled from the party in November.

Reacting to the development, the BJP said the raids were politically motivated. Saying that the Congress and the BSP were “hand in glove”, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accused them of misusing the Central agency.

Questioning the timing of the raids, Naqvi asked why the CBI had kept quiet for so many months before going in for searches at the former minister’s premises.

Embarrassed by the sharp defence by Congress, the BJP maintained that Kushwaha had been inducted into the party. That did not necessarily mean that he would be offered a party ticket in the forthcoming UP Assembly election.