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| Koda's interrogation likely to begin today |
| Saubhadro Chatterji / Ranchi Nov 09, 2009, 00:59 IST |
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As probe intensifies, says he’s being framed since he’s a tribal.
Jharkhand’s ex-chief minister Madhu Koda, at the centre of a spreading scandal following a probe on unaccounted money, was discharged from a hospital here this morning, where he’d got himself admitted even as central investigation agencies were wanting to interrogate him
When patients are discharged from hospital, doctors generally recommend ‘bed rest’ or ‘rest at home’ for some days. In Koda’s case, “not only he was certified medically fit but no advice for any rest was given as well”, a top source in the Apollo Group-controlled Abdur Razzak Memorial Weavers Hospital Hospital told Business Standard.
“Officials of the income-tax department and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sent a letter to us, asking if the patient can be subject to interrogation. We told them that he is medically fit. This means he can live a normal life,” P D Sinha, the medical superintendent of the hospital, said over the telephone.
From hospital, Koda drove his grey Indigo straight home. But before leaving hospital, he gave a caste-spin to the drama: “I am innocent. I am been falsely framed just because I am a tribal (Ho tribe).” His wife, Gita, had also come to meet the husband at the hospital and defended him: “Go and ask the officials who claim to have a lot of papers. As far as I know, they have not found anything against my husband from our house.”
The house—located at the Morabadi area of the city—itself speaks about the interesting rise in the life of Madhu Koda, who started his career as a daily-wage labourer. “Three years ago, this used to be a very small, one-storeyed house,” said a police constable on duty outside the Koda residence.
Today, the two-storeyed airconditioned building can easily serve as an advertisement for a cement or a paints company.
A team of I-T officials — led by Ujjwal Chowdhry, director of income-tax investigations — from here are in Mumbai, gateway of a large part of Koda’s alleged multi-crore fund. Investigations so far indicate, say informed sources, that Koda used Mumbai for routing most of his money in buying mines in countries like Thailand and Liberia, while Delhi, Kolkata and Lucknow became his domestic investment hubs. The I-T sleuths are expected to stay in Mumbai till at least Wednesday, according to a member of the team.
Meanwhile, Koda’s interrogation is likely to start from Monday and he may face arrest subsequently. “We are thinking of giving him rest today,” a top I-T officer told Business Standard on Sunday afternoon, when asked when the interrogation may start. The ED officials had earlier hinted that the 38-year old Independent MP from Singhbhum might be arrested soon after he came out of the hospital.
Income Tax commissioner Ajay Kumar has also been camping in Ranchi since Saturday to investigate the mining deals signed during Koda’s regime. Before becoming the chief minister, Koda was heading the lucrative mines and geology ministry during 2006 to 2008. Kumar is considered to be an expert in mines’ investigation.
This reporter was told this story by a senior politician. When Koda was the chief minister, top officials of Steel Authority of India (SAIL) rushed to meet a top UPA minister one evening. The reason: Koda had decided to give the Chiriya mines, with Asia’s largest iron ore reserves, to some a company, while SAIL needed it for various projects. The minister, with the consent of the Congress high command, telephoned Koda and told him, “Madhu, if you give away the Chiriya mine to private parties, we will ensure your government gets toppled in the next seven days.”
The dispute over Chiriya is currently pending at the Jharkhand High Court.
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