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Hooda reiterates demand for CBI probe into 'paddy scam'

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Press Trust of India Chandigarh

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday reiterated his demand for a CBI probe into an alleged paddy scam, claiming there was a mismatch in actual production and procurement registered by the government agencies.

"For past so many months, we have been demanding that the government should have this paddy scam probed either by the CBI or a sitting high court judge, but they are not doing so," the Congress leader told reporters outside the Vidhan Sabha, on the sidelines of the ongoing budget session.

He said his party had repeatedly pointed out that a thorough probe was necessary as there was a mismatch in the actual production of paddy and the procurement registered by the government agencies.

 

"The total paddy production in the state was 67.74 lakh metric tonnes, out of which only 40 lakh metric tonnes of non-Basmati could be procured, but the state showed 64.34 lakh metric tonnes procurement. The government has no answer where this extra paddy had come from. This mismatch indicates towards a big scandal," Hooda alleged.

He said no FIR has been filed in the alleged scam even after it came to light many months ago.

The leader of opposition in the state Assembly claimed there was a mining scam as well in Haryana. "There is mining scam too, but it is surprising that the government is not paying any heed to such a serious matter," he said.

Attacking the BJP-JJP coalition government, Hooda said corruption was rampant in all spheres under this dispensation.

Referring to the address of the governor to the members on the inaugural day of the budget session on February 20, Hooda said, "It should have given details of the government's achievements, but it lacked vision and direction."

He said the people had high hopes from the alliance government (of BJP-JJP) in Haryana, but they have been badly let down.

Hooda claimed that the BJP and the JJP did not forge an alliance because their ideologies matched, "but both came together due to opportunism and formed a government".

"They have not taken a single step towards fulfilling their promises. They are only making speeches, but the government does not run on speeches alone," he said.

Hooda also took on the government over the "rising unemployment and deteriorating law and order situation".

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First Published: Feb 26 2020 | 7:32 PM IST

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