BJP tells Congress to be prepared for CBI probe in ambulance scam

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Tuesday that Congress Party leaders should be willing to undergo a CBI probe for their alleged involvement in an ambulance scam.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had earlier asked for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the ambulance scam in which her predecessor, Ashok Gehlot and other Congress leaders face allegations.

Rajasthan Health Minister Rajendra Rathore said the Congress was finally facing a kind of probe it had frequented on other parties, when in power.

"This is in the nature of the Congress. They had framed a lot of people in fake encounters and would involve the CBI and make a lot of noise about it. They should not have a problem if any institution or the CBI is involved in investigation, rather they should welcome it," he said.

Other leaders who have been named in the scam include present Rajasthan Congress President, Sachin Pilot, Ravi Krishna, son of former Cabinet minister, Vayalar Ravi and former finance minister, P Chidambaram's son, Karti Chidambaram, among others.

The scam dates back to 2009 when Krishna's company, Ziqita Health Care Limited got the tender to run the 108 ambulance service, which was a part of the union government's National Rural Health Mission and a public-private partnership.

The BJP in 2012 alleged that Krishna's company was being paid money for ambulances which were on record only on paper. An audit report followed and financial irregularities were found but no action was taken. Pilot and Karti Chidambaram had been directors in Ziqita, which further complicated matters.

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said if the Congress is honest, they should have nothing to fear.

"If they have nothing to fear, then they should not worry about anything. Whatever probe is being done must be being done on the basis of some facts. In any case, the Congress party's tenure at the centre or in many states has been so scam- ridden, it can hardly be considered as a model of what good governance should be," he said in Mumbai.

The Congress, however, believes it to be a ploy by the BJP to take revenge.

"You should understand, be it Congress or BJP, if there is revengeful politics, it will harm the country. The '108' ambulance scheme is a service that has started showing results; many people are happy with it, anyone needs an ambulance, a vehicle is swift to reach. The 108 ambulance is a government scheme and the state government has a responsibility and duty to fulfill the needs of its citizens. But in the investigation, at least keep some honesty, you named Sachin Pilot who is the present state congress president, just because he is the present Congress president, their aim seems to be to damage the Congress," said a Congress legislator, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas.

In June, this year, the Rajasthan state police had filed a case against all of them, accusing them of cheating and conspiracy and since then it has been handled by the state's Criminal Investigation Department.