Lok Sabha polls: Uttarakhand government is indulging in politics of vendetta, claims BJP

DEHRADUN: BJP today said that the Uttarakhand government is indulging in politics of vendetta by recommending a CBI probe into the multi-crore NRHM scam in the state at a time when the Lok Sabha polls are at the peak.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat's recommendation of a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in purchase of medicines under NRHM at a time when the polls are at their peak and the model code of conduct is in force shows that state government is acting out of vengeance, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ajay Bhatt said in a statement here.

"The model code of conduct is in force shows that the state government is acting out of vengeance," Bhatt said.

"This has been done in a hurry without even taking the permission of the Election Commission to divert people's attention as the ruling Congress can foresee its defeat on all the five Lok Sabha seats in the state," he added.

The state government would have recommended a CBI probe into the alleged "scam" if their intentions had been fair. Why has it been done in such hurry at the time of elections, said Bhatt.

The Chief Minister had recommended a CBI probe last week into the scam pertaining to large-scale irregularities in the distribution of medicines worth over Rs 14 crore under NRHM in the hill state in 2008-2009 when BJP's Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank was in power.

Nishank is pitted against Chief Minister's wife Renuka Rawat in Haridwar and it is being speculated that the issue has been revived deliberately to damage the former's poll prospects on the Lok Sabha seat.

"It was just about some irregularities in purchase of medicines of expiry date under NRHM which had nothing to do with the Chief Minister of the day as a sale and purchase committee handles the matter directly," Bhatt said.

He said the Congress may try out all "ingenuine methods" up its sleeve to stop Narendra Modi from becoming Prime Minister but BJP victory from all the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand is a certainty.