New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly conducted raids at nine locations, including those linked to two aides of former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik, in connection with a corruption case in the union territory. The case pertains to alleged irregularities in an insurance scheme involving Reliance General Insurance, which is owned by Anil Ambani.
While in office, Malik had cancelled this insurance scheme. In a recent interview with The Wire, he said that RSS and BJP leader Ram Madhav was allegedly pushing Malik to pass while he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, but Malik cancelled it nonetheless.
On April 28, the CBI had questioned Malik at his residence in Delhi. Malik has been saying that the CBI’s actions are not because they are interested in probing the case – but because the Union government wants to harass Malik because of what he revealed about the Pulwama attack. In the same interview with The Wire, Malik had said that there was a failure at all levels of the Indian security apparatus – from the Union home ministry down – which led to the deaths of CRPF jawans.
Speaking to The Wire on Wednesday, Malik alleged that the recent raids too were an attempt to harass him. “Mera ek press advisor tha [Sunak Bali] jo payroll pe nahi tha par mere saath kaam karta tha, unpe raid hua hai. Phir mera ek PA tha Kanwar Singh Rana, unpe raid hua hai. Dilchasp baat ye hai, shikayat humne ki, jinke baare mein humne ki, unse to kuch pooch nahi rahe hain. Hum hi se ye sab ho raha hai. Ye kuch nahi hai, ye darana chaahte hain, lekin main inke removal tak inse ladunga. Aap dekhna 2024 mein ye kaheen nahi rahenge, Pulwama inko kha jayega (I had a press advisor [Sunak Bali] who was not on the payroll, he has been raided. Then I had a personal assistant, Kanwar Singh Rana, he has been raided. What is interesting is that I am the one who has complained, but nothing is being asked of those I have accused of corruption. Only I am being targeted. This is nothing, it is only an attempt to scare me, but I will not stop fighting them until they are removed. You watch, in 2024 they will be nowhere. Pulwama will eat them alive),” he said.
During his explosive interview with The Wire, Malik had also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not particularly anti-corruption. He mentioned several allegations he had taken to the prime minister – including on the Reliance Insurance scheme – and said Modi had not acted on any of them.
Read the precise transcript (translated from Hindi) of what Malik said about this scheme and Madhav’s involvement to The Wire:
On Ram Madhav and Reliance Insurance
KT: I want to speak about something else that you mentioned in that YouTube interview that you did, because I think it is very important. You spoke about Reliance Insurance wanting to open an insurance scheme in Kashmir. You said that Ram Madhav came to see you at 7 am at your residence to get you to clear it? You also said that you hadn’t even showered by then?
SM: I had [said that], and I don’t even meet people before a shower, but that day I had to meet him.
KT: He came to you at seven in the morning and asked you to clear it and you said, and I am quoting you, “I will not do anything wrong.” What was the wrong thing that he was trying to make you do?
SM: I also got a notice from him.
KT: Yes, it is also in the papers that he sued you for defamation. But that’s just proves that you are a brave man and that won’t put you off, so let’s not worry about that.
SM: Ask him to tell me why he had shown up at the residence, what did he want to talk about? Did he want to talk about murder? One day earlier we had closed the matter and he came back again very early in the morning. He asked me if I had closed the matter on insurance and I said that I had. He asked me if the letter had gone and I said that it had. Then Ram Madhav got upset.
KT: Tell me this, why did you refuse Reliance Insurance permission for starting the insurance scheme that it wanted to in Kashmir?
SM: I had initially passed this scheme but a lot of people asked me to take it back. The first thing that happened was that government employees were really unhappy with the coming of the scheme. That is because all government employees had to pay Rs 8,500 a year for the scheme. Retired officers had to give more than Rs 20,000. So I said in Delhi, under CGHS, we don’t have to pay anything, so why would they pay here? And on top of that, the hospitals that had been listed in the scheme were bad hospitals. None of the hospitals were of national repute. I realised that the hospitals were bad and then good treatment would not be meted out even after taking large amounts. That’s why I told them to do it on CJHS pattern.
KT: Then did Ram Madhav come to meet you in the morning because he wanted you to accept this scheme? He was quite happy with these charges; he was okay with having these bad hospitals involved?
SM: No, he did not ask me to do anything. He just asked me whether I had cancelled it and then whether I had sent the letter. He was upset; I understood what was happening.
KT: You also understood that he wanted you to pass the scheme?
SM: But I had already refused.
KT: But he came to get it passed?
SM: Yes, he had never before visited me.
KT: He wanted to change your mind?
SM: Yes, but no one can. Even if the PM had said I would not have agreed.
KT: But Ram Madhav tried?
SM: Yes.