CBI is set to tighten its noose around Maywati

With Bahujan Samaj Party chief Maywati  almost consenting to join hands with Samajwadi Party and contest the 2019 general elections, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to tighten its noose around her by initiating a probe into a scam of over Rs 1100 crore in the sale of 21 state-owned sugar mills in 2010-11. 

Sources said that a CBI team from Delhi initiated primary enquiry and were collecting records of the sale of 21 sugar mills. Earlier, the CAG had found that the sale involved a scam of Rs 1179 crores. 

Sources further confirmed that the CBI also started reviewing documents related to the sale and FIRs could be registered soon. The agency will look into role of ‘politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen’ involved in the scam. 

Sources revealed  that the state government while recommending a CBI probe had handed over records including an FIR registered at Gomti Nagar police station of Lucknow in November 2017 against two companies which bought mills — Namrata Marketing Pvt Ltd and Girasho Company Pvt Ltd. These companies were found to be bogus during an enquiry made by the state government. 

Interestingly, while BSP leaders accused the Centre for misusing the government agency to settle political scores with those opposing the ruling party, a senior CBI officer at Lucknow when contacted on Monday evening, denied of any move so far to take-up the probe into the sugar mill sale case.

The Yogi Adityanath government referred the alleged scam to CBI on April 12, and asked the agency to look into the ‘entire sale proceedings of 21 sugar mills’, including use of bogus companies and documents in the purchase of seven closed mills in Deoria, Bareilly, Laxmiganj, Hardoi, Ramkola, Chittauni and Barabanki. 

The decision was taken at a review meeting of Sugarcane Development department chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The CM noted that nobody had the right to misuse public property and those violating it would be brought to justice.

In its notification, the government sought a CBI probe claiming that the scam had inter-state ramifications. Interestingly, former minister in Mayawati’s government and once close aide, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, disclosed when the probe started last year that the ‘sugar mills were sold on the instructions of then CM Mayawati and BSP general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra’. 

However, Mayawati had countered the claim saying that the sale order for sugar mills was issued by then minister Siddiqui, who was later ousted from the party and recently joined Congress.