Rs 200-crore gold purchases in Haryana bank scam raises questions: Rao Narender Singh
HPCC chief seeks probe into alleged siphoning of funds for gold purchases, questions accountability
Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Rao Narender Singh on Saturday reacted to the Rs 590-crore bank scam that has surfaced in the state, calling it a “horrifying picture of corruption, patronage and institutional loot.”
He said the revelation of nearly Rs 200 crore worth of gold purchases has made the scam even more serious.
Singh alleged that facts presented by the CBI in court indicate that a large portion of the public’s hard-earned money was siphoned off from IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank to purchase gold.
He claimed that through shell companies, the gold was routed to influential white-collar individuals, corrupt officials and even sent abroad.
Singh further alleged that crores of rupees were transferred from government accounts to private accounts without proper documentation such as stamps, debit notes or cheques, and merely on verbal instructions. He termed it not an ordinary scam but an organised economic crime carried out under political protection.
The state Congress chief also pointed to the dismissal of officials from the education project and the panchayat department, saying it reflects the scale of the scam. He questioned why lower-level employees were being targeted while the alleged masterminds remain unaccounted for.
Singh demanded a fair and impartial investigation to uncover all aspects of the scam.
He added that the government’s silence raises serious concerns, remarking that “the cat itself is guarding the milk.”
“The Congress party will continue to raise this issue from the streets to the legislature as the voice of the people,” Singh said.
