'57 Suicides Yet No Probe': Bhupesh Baghel Alleges Big "Scam" Under BJP Rule

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday wrote to the Enforcement Directorate seeking a probe alleging a "scam" into state-run Civil Supply Corporation and "irregularities" by chit fund firms, which he claimed had taken place when Raman Singh-led BJP government was in power.

Mr Baghel tweeted two letters he has written to the Director of the federal anti-money laundering agency and said if Enforcement Directorate does not take up the investigation into the two "scams", the court will be approached.

Reacting sharply, Raman Singh asked why Bhupesh Baghel is afraid of the "truth", apparently referring to the ED's action currently underway in the state.

The ED is probing a money laundering case linked to the alleged extortion of money from coal and mining transporters in Chhattisgarh, and has arrested four people, including a Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer, so far.

In the letter seeking a probe into the Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) or civil supply corporation "scam", Mr Baghel said the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had raided the Nigam's office and its officials and recovered cash and unearthed documents of disproportionate assets to the tune of crores.

A case was registered against 28 people. 16 of them got a clean chit in court later, he said.

"It was surprising that no initiative was taken by the ED to probe the scam, as it generally takes quick action by registering cases even in 'small matters'".

He alleged Raman Singh ensured that no case was registered by the ED.

The ED had registered a case in connection with the "NAN scam" in 2019, but so far there is no information regarding the progress of the probe, he stated.

"If no action/investigation is conducted by the ED within 15 days, then a petition will be filed in the court in this regard, '' he added.

In another letter claiming irregularities by chit fund companies, Mr Baghel claimed that between 2009 and 2017, the then BJP government had organised employment fairs of chit fund companies in every district wherein the then Chief Minister Raman Singh, his cabinet colleagues, and senior officials took part as guests.

Unscrupulous chit-fund firms ditched youths and duped innocent people to the tune of several crores through such fairs, he claimed.

The state government had received several complaints against these firms between 2010 and 2016 and the offices of some of them were also sealed, but later they were again allowed to operate freely by the previous BJP government, the Chief Minister alleged.

As many as 310 FIRs were lodged against 161 companies, but not a single rupee was recovered from them. Even 57 agents of such companies had committed suicide while some were murdered, but no action was taken by the then government, Mr Baghel claimed.

Some FIRs were registered in Rajnandgaon and Surguja (after the Congress government was elected to power in 2018) in which former BJP MPs Abhishek Singh and Madhusudan Yadav, and BJP's Rajnandgaon district unit chief and others were named as accused, he said.

So far, we have received 25 lakh applications from the investors (seeking their money back), according to which this scam is of around Rs 6,500 crore, he said.

Raman Singh hit back, "CM @bhupeshbaghel ji how long will you run away from issues..? When action is taken against corrupt officials, you question ED's credibility. Now you are writing a letter to the same ED seeking probe into NAN- chit fund. Keep your words and actions clear. Why so much afraid of the truth".

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)