Jaipur:
A criminal case of corruption has been filed today by the CBI against Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot among others for an alleged scam in ambulance services provided in Rajasthan.
In 2009, a company named Ziqitza Healthcare was selected to operate ambulances across the state in partnership with the government for rural areas without access to hospitals or clinics. Mr Gehlot was, at the time, Chief Minister. Ziqitza was top heavy with Congress connections - it was run by Ravi Krishna, the son of then union minister Vayalar Ravi; the directors included Karti Chidambaram, whose father P Chidambaram was then Home Minister.
Mr Pilot says he has incorrectly been listed as a director by investigators, and that he lobbied for free ambulance services in rural areas in an earlier iteration of Ziqitza as a non-profit, ending his association when it turned into a company.
In 2012, the BJP, then in the opposition, demanded an inquiry after the state auditor found that Ziqitza was being paid for ambulances which existed only on paper. The government, the auditor said, was also being billed for imaginary trips by the ambulances that were meant to assist in emergency care to poor patients in remote areas. The alleged swindle was worth more than 10 crores.
Those accused of corruption and complicity in the scam have consistently denied any wrong doing. After the BJP swept the Rajasthan election in 2013, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said she would like the CBI to take over the inquiry from the state police.
The Congress has said that the charges amount to brazen political vendetta. BJP leaders have said that if the Congressmen involved are confident of their innocence, they should have no objection to being investigated.