'Not a single penny was...': Himanta Biswa Sarma threatens defamation case against Manish Sisodia over PPE kit allegations

Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia alleged that the Assam chief minister gave contracts to companies of his wife and son's business partners to supply PPE kits at "exorbitant rates" in 2020.

New Delhi: Hours after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia alleged that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma gave contracts to companies of his wife and son's business partners to supply PPE kits at "exorbitant rates" in 2020, the BJP leader on Saturday (June 4, 2022) threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against him. While Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia said that two websites had collaborated on the story on the alleged "scam" and published it two days ago, Sarma refuted the allegations, saying his wife's company gifted the PPE kits to the government and that Sisodia was "cherry-picking from half the documents".

Sisodia had claimed that while the Assam government procured PPE kits at Rs 600 apiece from other companies, Sarma, who was then the state health minister, gave urgent supply orders to his "wife's firm, JCB Industries, and Meditime Healthcare, which belonged to a close associate," at Rs 990 apiece "taking advantage of the COVID-19 emergency".

"It is a major scam by the chief minister of Assam and his close associates. It is a solid corruption case and the ED is after (Satyendar) Jain who is working hard to provide quality healthcare to the residents of Delhi," Sisodia said. 

The ED, notably, had arrested Jain, Delhi's health minister and AAP leader, in a money laundering case on May 30.

Sarma, while refuting the allegations, said his wife managed to bring in a few kits to save precious lives at a time when Assam did not have a single PPE kit.

"Although the NHM issued order, the company raised no bill and the kits were gifted to the government... Not a single penny was transacted, where is the corruption(sic)," he tweeted.

https://t.co/Xw94tURAZi pic.twitter.com/AyuMpkp2HQ — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022

"Due to acute shortage then, every government including yours waived the tender process for PPE kits and went for direct purchase... Don't cherry-pick from half the documents. Have the courage to put all the facts," Himanta Biswa Sarma added.

The Assam chief minister also attached a letter of appreciation from the then National Health Mission director Dr Lakshmanan for providing the PPE kits as corporate social responsibility during COVID-19 by JCB Industries, of which Sarma's wife Rinki Sarma Bhuyan is a partner.

Dear Manish Sishodia, let me refresh your memory from 2 years. You did not even reply to my tweet when my people from Assam needed your help during the Covid pandemic. Many phone calls even went unanswered in spite of the fact that we knew each other very well. https://t.co/k8JHasbb5r — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 4, 2022

"Stop sermonising. I will see you in Guwahati as you (Sisodia) will face criminal defamation," Sarma said.

Earlier, Sisodia had alleged that business partners of "Sarma's son also got a lucrative order to supply PPE kits at a rate of Rs 990 per piece. Agile Associates, a company owned by a business partner of Sarma's wife, received orders to deliver 10,000 PPE kits for Rs 2,205 per piece".

"Despite an incomplete supply of orders, these close associates of the Sarma family bagged orders to supply more PPE kits at a rate of Rs 1,680 per piece," Sisodia said.

Dy. CM @msisodia exposes Himanta Biswa Sarma's PPE Kit SCAM!

BJP's Assam CM was minting money in the name of the pandemic!#ResignHimantaBiswa pic.twitter.com/B0bVIEBVGi — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 4, 2022

The firm belonging to his wife does not even deal in medical equipment, the AAP leader claimed.

Sisodia asked why the members of the BJP were silent on "corruption" by a chief minister of a state ruled by the saffron party.

(With agency inputs)