BJP blaming the regional parties for “corruption” for decades is now itself caught in a huge controversy over corruption charges in the controversial operation of mineral activities in Tawi riverbed in Jammu. Facing charges from his own party man BJP strong man and Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dr Jitendra Singh is at the centre of this heated controversy over illegal mining in Jammu. Allegations of using a district minerals officer as conduit for illegal mining by Dr Jitendra Singh MoS In PMO from his own party’s senior colleague Vikram Randhawa won’t end up with a simple warning of defamation suit from the accused but only an inquiry by a premier investigative agency of either the Jammu & Kashmir Government or the Central Government would cool down the rising tempers of Jitendra’s critics and rivals both within and outside BJP. The issue by all standards of understandabilities is not only a matter of personal integrity of Dr Jitendra Singh but also of the political integrity of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the country who have promised a corruption free government to the people of Jammu & Kashmir after the downgrading of Jammu & Kashmir to a union territory and withdrawal of it’s special status by abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35 A. Most interesting part of this corruption controversy would be the response of the Jammu & Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha as people across the political spectrum would like to see that whether he lives upto his own promises of a corruption free government or not. Since Vikram Randhawa the complaint himself a senior BJP leader has talked about an alleged nexus of Jitendra Singh with some top J&K Government officials including the incumbent divisional commissioner Jammu, SSP Jammu and others besides a district minerals officer, it is for the Lt Governor to announce a high level time bound inquiry to ensure that guilty are punished and innocents are let off.
Keeping in view the seriousness of the charges against top functionaries of J&K Government besides Dr Jitendra Singh the Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office, the J&K Lt Governor should have immediately referred the matter to any premier investigative agency of the government to rebuff Randhwa’s allegations that a probe by the J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau against a district minerals officer has been scuttled by the Union Minister Jitendra Singh and prove that government is not giving in to any pressure from any quarter.
While still a major action from the Lt Governor is awaited, the BJP as a party has also failed to seek documentary evidence from the complainant to prove his charges against Jitendra Singh and some top J&K Government officials within 24 hours as promised by a spokesman of J&K BJP. Keeping in view the seriousness of the charges against top functionaries of J&K Government besides Dr Jitendra Singh the Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office, the J&K Lt Governor should have immediately referred the matter to any premier investigative agency of the government to rebuff Randhwa’s allegations that a probe by the J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau against a district minerals officer has been scuttled by the Union Minister Jitendra Singh and prove that government is not giving in to any pressure from any quarter.
