BJP targets Congress, claims it has proof of Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat's role in liquor scam

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) on Wednesday brought out a counter against Congress' corruption charges by claiming it had proof of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat's involvement in a liquour scam and loot during the devastating 2013 floods.

"The Uttarakhand Chief Minister and his Personal Secretary were involved in a liquor scam and loot during Uttarakhand floods. We have a video proof which shows involvement of Uttarakhand Chief Minister and his powerful close confidante in the scam," said BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman.
Reacting to the charge, Rawat said it was frivolous and would not even move court against such allegations.
Rawat had earlier ordered an inquiry into the flood relief scam, adding that strict action would be initiated against those responsible.

According to reports, during the disaster in Uttarakhand, when lakhs of people went hungry, officials of the state government were busy utilizing the Rs 7,000 per day allowance given to them for supervising relief efforts.

When the state was struggling for two meals in a day, the officials had a normal day diet of mutton chops, chicken, milk and cottage cheese. An RTI reply has revealed a scam in the allowance claims made by the officials involved in the rescue and relief works.