Faisal Fareed
Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Jan 4: Even as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) came on backfoot sheepishly trying to defend the induction of tainted former minister, Babu Singh Kushwaha in saffron brigade, CBI raided the establishments of Kushwaha and his cronies on Wednesday.
Kushwaha is former family welfare minister of Mayawati government and is a prime accused in Rs 10,000 crore scam in National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
As per reports, the CBI team raided 61 establishments which included residences of Kushwaha and his cronies and some government officials. Two former Director General (medical and health) were also taken into custody.
The raids were conducted at the BSP MLC Ram Chander Pradhan's office, former health top officials, Dr SP Ram and Dr RR Bharti, General Manager UP UP Jal Nigam, PK Jain, and UP State Industries Development Corporation, Abhay Kumar Vajpayee
In Lucknow CBI team conducted raids at Kushwaha's residence (A-102, Shalimar Royale in Mall Avenue), his office at Kasmanda House in Hazratganj, another house at Gwalior, residence of MLC Ram Chander Pradhan at Gomati Nagar, Dr SP Ram, Dr RR Bharti residences both in Gomati Nagar along with residence and other establishments of GM of Jal Nigam, PK Jain.
Besides above, team members also conducted raids at private establishments engaged in NRHM which included 8 premises in Kanpur, four in Moradabad, along with Agra, Gauriganj in Amethi, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, New Delhi, Sonipat in Haryana, and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. In Moradabad, Kushwaha's close businessman, Saurabh Jain his associate Narendra Kumar Jain were targeted by CBI. The team also raided Saurabh's another establishment in New Delhi.The recovery included papers related to scam, 3 Kg gold and Rs 1.10 crore in cash from Jain's locker.
CBI had earlier registered five separate cases (three in Lucknow and two in Delhi) in connection with upgrading of 134 hospitals, purchases of computers, ambulances etc in which besides Babu Singh Kushwaha, GM of Jal Nigam, PK Jain, who was then posted at GM of Construction & Design section, project manager, BN Srivastava, Resident Engineer, Kartar Singh, junior engineers -- BN Gupta, JK Singh, along with Girish Malik (representative of PK Jain's company-Surgeon Medi Equip Private Ltd), Ramesh Bhatia of Ankur Goods and Parcel, and owner of Modern Enterprises were named on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, BJP top brass came on defensive over Kushwaha's induction in party. Party leader Vinay Katiyar claimed that Kushwaha will not be fielded in UP polls while Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that it was uninimous decision to induct Kushwaha.