When a constable alone can be involved in such a huge scam of Rs 1000-Rs 1200 crore there can be enough revenue from transport check-posts alone that can compensate the loss of revenue if there is total prohibition in the state: Former chief minister Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharti
Bhopal: Senior BJP leader Uma Bharti sees a bigger scam than infamous Vyapam scam that once shook Madhya Pradesh in the illegal collections of money from transporters on Madhya Pradesh border.
She also feels that amount of collection done illegally on MP border suggests that there are prospects for enough revenue through transport check-posts alone that total prohibition on liquor is possible in Madhya Pradesh.
Uma Bharti who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the year 2003 to dislodge the then Congress government led by the then chief minister Digvijaya Singh has been campaigning for a long time for total prohibition in the state.
She was talking to media persons here at her bungalow.
Vyapam (an acronym of Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal in Hindi) scam was a multi-layer scam in which examinations conducted for professional courses like Pre-Medical Tests and recruitment tests conducted for the government jobs were allegedly rigged at a mass scale. A good number of talented candidates were deprived of admissions in professional courses or government jobs because of the scam in which a number of Vyapam authorities were involved to mint money.
Uma Bharti said, “When a constable alone can be involved in such a big scam of Rs 1000-Rs 1200 crore there can be enough revenue from check-posts alone (on the state border) that can compensate the loss of revenue if there is total prohibition in the state.”
Notably, in Lokayukta organization and Income Tax department’s raids at an ex-Transport department constable Saurabh Sharma’s office, residence and other places associated with him huge collection of Rs 1200 to Rs 1300 crore from transporters at various check-posts on MP border has come to light.
The illegal collection reportedly went on with impunity even after Mohan Yadav government ordered closure of check-posts at the border of the state.
In the series of raids in the past one month or so, the IT department seized as much as 52 kg of gold (valued at Rs 40 crore) and Rs 11 crore in cash from a sports utility vehicle alone. In all, more than Rs 14 crore in cash, silver bars apart from the gold valued at about Rs 2 crore and huge investment in real estate have been discovered.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also joined the probe and is looking into possible violation of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by Saurabh Sharma who is absconding along with his wife and both are reported to be in Dubai at the moment.
Uma Bharti said when she became the chief minister of the state (in 2003) she wanted electronic surveillance system and digital collection of revenue at the check-posts on Madhya Pradesh border in place of manual ones on Gujarat pattern.
“Then revenue from excise was about Rs 1500 crore then (annually). I suggested that we can collect Rs 3000 crore (annually) through mineral policy, Tendu leaves policy and also by effecting some changes in excise policy etc. The check-posts scam has corroborated my point that through check-posts alone there can be such a good amount of revenue that the total prohibition policy in the state is possible”, she added.
She said during her tenure the liquor mafia was ousted from the system and auction system was proposed (for granting licence of liquor shops) but once she stepped down the auction system was done away with and then (licence of) shops were given based on performance system. There were other changes too. “Fir to Madhya Pradesh sharaab me bah gaya (Then there was no restriction on sale of liquor in Madhya Pradesh)”, she added.
The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh showered praises on the incumbent chief minister of the state Dr Mohan Yadav saying he had taken a bold step by imposing a ban on sale of liquor in the 17 religious cities in the state.
“I am of the view that Mohan Yadav ji as much opposed to liquor as I am and his announcing the ban on liquor in religious cities may be a concrete step in the direction of total prohibition in the state”, said the former union minister.
When asked if she didn’t have support from the then chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on liquor prohibition unlike the incumbent chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav who announced ban on liquor in religious cities she said Chouhan was the right person to answer this.
PYTHONS ARE YET TO BE TRACKED DOWN
In reply to a question she said, “The man against whom the raids were conducted was as good as an earthworm. The pythons were yet to be tracked down (Ajgar to abhi bahar hain).”
When asked who the pythons were she said if the government agencies dug deeper and deeper they would easily track down the pythons.
She said she was confident that the chief minister Mohan Yadav who had cracked a whip on those involved in the transport check-posts scam would take action against these pythons too.
