Patna,(BiharTimes): Former deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday directly blamed former chief minister Nitish Kumar for Rs 100 crore medicine scam as between June 16, 2013 and May 16, 2014 the health portfolio was with him.
Before that this portfolio was with the BJP leader and now Buxar MP, Ashwani Kumar Choubey.
The purchase, according to Sushil Modi, was made in the financial year 2013-14 at prices that were 50 to 800 per cent more than rates for similar medicines and equipment contracted by State Health Society (SHS). This happened despite objections from various government institutions.
Demanding a CBI probe into the matter he accused the state government of shielding some senior JD(U) leaders and officials in purchase of medicine and equipment by Bihar Medical Service and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd.
It needs to be recalled that a petitioner has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding a CBI investigation into the alleged scam.
He said the way the Bihar government has opposed CBI inquiry into the scam shows that it is trying to shield the persons involved.
SuMo also said a Joint Secretary rank officer, who was private secretary to Nitish Kumar during his first term as the CM, was the chairman of the medicine purchase committee.
The former state finance minister said that in January 2014 the state government set up a five member committee headed by additional director, health service, Dr K K Singh, to look into the alleged irregularities in the Corporation but even after the lapse of six months it has not submitted its report when it was given just seven days time to do so.
Subsequently two more committees were set up to probe the related matter but nothing has come out till date.
Talking to the media after Janata Darbar he said that the Corporation has not only purchased medicine at much higher rate than fixed by the State Health Society but also purchased sub-standard medicine from blacklisted companies.
He distributed copies of letters issued by the health department as well as SHS suggesting that the medicine were bought at a higher cost.
The BJP leader said the irony is that the government had not taken any action against any pharmaceutical company adding that the government did not bother to withdraw such sub-standard medicine from the health centres even after it led to the death of a patient in Bhagalpur.
However, he did not name any JD(U) leader involved in the scam but said that the health portfolio was with Nitish Kumar then.
He said the State Vigilance is probing the Rs 12 crore medicine scam in PMCH and added that the Centre gives huge amount under the NRHM scheme for the purchase of medicine and equipment.
It needs to be mentioned that six companies from which the medicine and equipment were bought were blacklisted in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Rajasthan.