BJP leader accused Uttarakhand government of diverting disaster related funds for Virat Kohli video.
A war of words broke out between Chief Minister Harish Rawat and the opposition BJP on Saturday in the hill state that voted last week after a BJP leader accused the state government of diverting funds meant for disaster rehabilitation to produce a tourism video featuring cricketer Virat Kohli.
BJP leader Ajendra Ajay said the government had told him in a RTI response that 47 lakh rupees was paid for the 60-second video to a firm linked to singer Kailash Kher.
"The payment was made in June 2015 out of funds meant for reconstruction and rehabilitation work in areas devastated by the June 2013 disaster," he said, insisting that the Chief Minister couldn't complain of falling short of funds for rehabilitation when it diverted the funds.
The diverted funds had been released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority, he claimed.
Mr Rawat promptly hit back, stressing that the government was well within its powers to make the payments from any fund. "Is it a crime to engage to Virat Kohli in Uttarakhand promotion... It was our success that we managed to involve Kohli for promotion of the Char Dham," he said.
The Chief Minister told the opposition to file a written complaint if the party wanted him to conduct an inquiry into misuse of disaster relief funds. "We will conduct the probe under a retired judge of the Supreme Court," he said.
The Congress government has regularly faced charges for misappropriating and squandering away resources meant for disaster relief and rehabilitation after the June 2013 cloudburst and rains that caused widespread destruction.
With inputs from PTI