The CBI, which carried out searches at 30 locations in 22 districts in connection with alleged irregularities in the multi-crore National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam in UP on Friday, is apparently waiting for the on-going election process to get over before it begins to target the “big fish” involved in the scam.
The CBI on Friday targeted medicine suppliers and doctors involved in the purchase of medicines and medical equipment using NRHM funds. It has not yet closed in on former health minister Anant Misra, former Lucknow CMO A.K. Shukla, former health secretary Prabhat Kumar Sarangi and some other politicians and officials allegedly involved in the NRHM scam.
The CBI operation has, therefore, led to questions about the investigating agency trying to avoid the big names suspected of involvement in the scam. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior CBI official admitted they were going slow on political leaders and senior bureaucrats since elections were on. “We do not want the investigations to take a political turn and we are delaying action in some cases till the polls are over. Immediately after Holi, the crackdown on big names will begin and we will make some top politicians confront each other during interrogation,” he said.
The CBI, according to sources, wants to build a fool-proof case before striking at the big names. In the four new FIRs registered on Thursday night, the CBI has named suppliers of medicines and surgical equipment as the accused.
Sleuths searched the premises of 22 private firms made accused in fresh FIRs and the then CMOs of 18 districts who awarded contracts to these suppliers, our correspondent in New Delhi adds. Several suppliers based in Lucknow, Varanasi, Bahraich and Meerut have been named in these cases, sources in Delhi said.