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| I am victim of vilification, will expose my enemies - Rather | | | Bashir Assad
JAMMU, Feb 23: Stating that a vilification campaign has been started to defame him, Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather Thursday said that he will expose the elements behind this campaign. Reacting to the charges of corruption and misuse of public authority levelled by an anonymous complainant in a complaint filed before the State Accountability Commission (SAC) and the virtual cognizance taken by the Commission which issued notice against him, Rather sounded surprises saying that the preliminary inquiry by the commission itself has found all the three allegations levelled against him baseless. Addressing a press conference outside the assembly here, Rathr said that vilification started against him since two years was aimed at tarnishing his image he has built during 35 years of his carrier. "I have full confidence in SAC and in the learned judges sitting there but as a student of Law I fail to understand why the notice was issues to me when the allegations levelled against me pertains to Information Technology Department because the contract was given to Jammu and Kashmir Bank by IT department and after preparation of smart cards by J&K Bank the IT department found that proper code of procedure was not followed while allotting the contract to the Bank and referred the matter to Finance Department for condonation" Rather said and added that the Finance department returned the file to IT department putting a note on it wherein it was mentioned that cond oning the file was not within the competence of the Finance Department, so matter should be referred to the Cabinet . Rather said that IT department prepared a memo for the cabinet which was accepted by the cabinet and the file was condoned by the cabinet after which 24 lakhs were released to the J&K Bank for preparation of smart cards for secretariat employees. Rather said that the complainant has blamed in his application that Mr. Rather gave the contract of rupees 2 crores for preparation of smart cards for secretariat employees to his son when the fact of the matter is that the contract has been allotted by IT Department to the J&K Bank. "Finance Department has no role in allotting the contract to the J&K Bank as the nodal department was IT department, in fact, my officers returned the file when it was send to them for condoning and I appreciate their wisdom" Rather said and added that he has never seen the file and it was only after the newspaper reports (about SAC serving notice to him) that he asked for the records wherein he found the file was returned by Finance Department officers without even putting before him. "I have even not seen the file not to speak of signing it but I appreciate my officers in the Finance Department returned the file with the remarks that the department was not competent to condone the file" added Finance minister. On charges of allotting contract for the preservation and conservation of Dal Lake for which central government has recently sanctioned 356 crores, Rather said that Dal Lake was under LAWDA and he as Finance Minister was nowhere in the picture. "Besides the contract has not been allotted to any body as on invitation of tenders only one tender was received by LAWDA and so allotment was not given to the company because LAWDA observed that it would not be in fitness of things. About the complainant, Rather said that it was an anonymous complaint as the Commission itself has observed that complainant (Yuva Shakti Vikas Mission) has not disclosed the credentials, address and particulars only because the complaint was false and under the provisions of the Law governing the Accountability Commission, any complainant on levelling baseless charges against any public servant shall be punished. When asked whether he was a victim of vilification from within his party, Rather avoided any direct reply saying that the campaign to malign his character is going on for last two years. On whether he would cooperate with the SAC in identifying the persons behind this campaign, Rather said that he will definitely expose his enemies. "I will suit them and will saw to it that they are hanged for levelling baseless charges against me" Rather said. In an apparent reference to senior PDP leader Muzaffer Hussain Baig, Rather said that in the past too vilification was started but they had to tender apology publicly. Rather challenged that if corruption of a single rupee is proved against him he will leave the politics. "Then allegation of purchasing a house in Palm resort at Dubbai was levelled against me but it proved wrong and now the charges of earning through allotment of contracts will meet the same fate because there are no skeletons in my cupboard" Rather added. Rather further added those who have started vilification against him were mistaken. "They can't put me on defensive as I have not learned to come on defensive, they are mistaken, my image is clear so they can't harm me" added Rather. It merits a mention here that State Accountability Commission (SAC) had directed Rather to appear in person or through counsel before the commission on March 6, 2012 in Smart Card preparation scam.
The allegations against Abdul Rahim Rather were that he gave a contract worth rupees crores to his son in respect of preparing Smart Cards, for the Secretariat employees. The contract was given in gross violation of the codal formalities, to shower huge and illegal benefits upon him, by prowling the state exchequer and even when he was not qualified to run such a project. |
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