Congress seeks Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje’s ouster on alleged mines scam of Rs 45K crore

NEW DELHI: The Congress has alleged "a Rs 45,000 crore scam" in the allocation of mines in Rajasthan, demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter and demanded the resignation of CM Vasundhara Raje. The CM has been facing Congress demands for resignation in the Lalit Modi episode too.

The Congress demand came in the wake of Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau arresting state Principal Secretary (Mines) Ashok Singhvi a few days ago after senior officials of the state mining department were reportedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe for resuming operations in a mine in Chittorgarh. The arrest of the official, widely perceived to be close to the chief minister, led to reports saying the arrest followed "orders from Delhi".

Addressing a press conference, AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, state PCC president Sachin Pilot and CLP leader Rameshwar Dudai said the trail in the alleged scam reached the doorstep of the CM, though only a top official has been arrested in the case. "The arrest of principal secretary (mines) was significant given that he had held the same position during Raje’s previous term. It is a scam causing a loss of Rs 45,000 crore to the state exchequer by allocating 653 mines on first-come-first served basis without following procedure," they alleged.