Samajwadi Party chief may face a CBI probe in connection with the illegal sand mining that took place in Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2016. (File photo)Rejecting Opposition’s criticism over its raids in the “illegal” mining case in Uttar Pradesh, the CBI Monday claimed that then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s office had cleared 13 projects on a single day, reported PTI.
The officials of the probe agency said Yadav, who was also the mining minister 2012 till June 2013, had cleared 14 leases, of which 13 were cleared on February 17, 2013, in violation of e-tendering process. It claimed that the leases were granted by the district magistrate of Hamirpur, B Chandrakala, on February 17, after getting the approval from the chief minister’s office in violation of its 2012 e-tender policy, which the Allahabad High Court had cleared on January 29, 2013.
The CBI’s response came after Yadav, who was the UP chief minister from 2012 to 2017, and other opposition party leaders dubbed CBI probe against the former UP chief minister in the illegal sand mining case as a political vendetta by the BJP government at the Centre.
“Why is the CBI conducting raids. Whatever they want to ask, they can ask me. However, the BJP should remember that the culture it is leaving behind, it may have to face it in the future,” Yadav said in a press conference in Lucknow on Sunday. He said he is ready to face the CBI, but people are also ready to answer the BJP.
“Samajwadi Party is making efforts to win maximum Lok Sabha seats. Those who want to stop us, have the CBI with them. Once the Congress did CBI probe, and I was questioned. If the BJP is doing all this, the CBI will question me, I will answer (them). But, the people are ready to give an answer to the BJP,” he added.
Targeting the BJP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the government for “shamelessly unleashing” the CBI on Yadav and said it was time to throw out “this dictatorial and undemocratic regime”.
BSP chief Mayawati also called CBI’s decision to probe Yadav’s role a “political vendetta to malign the SP-BSP alliance”.
The BJP, however, rubbished the allegations saying the probe agency does not work keeping elections in mind.
According to the FIR made public on Saturday, the Samajwadi Party chief may face a CBI probe in connection with the illegal sand mining that took place in Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2016. The CBI also carried out searches at 14 locations to probe the case.
