The Congress on Friday sought President Pranab Mukherjee’s intervention to direct Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to drop his four senior ministers involved allegedly involved in various scams and court cases.
One of the ministers who has refused to step down is Babubhai Bokhiriya, convicted and sentenced by a court to three-year rigorous imprisonment. A high-level delegation of Gujarat Congress leaders asked President to exercise his constitutional powers and sack these minister, even when Modi, claiming probity in public life, was looking the other way. The leaders said Bokhiriya continues in the council of ministers even after being convicted for Rs 54-crore worth theft of bauxite and lime stone from the mines in Porbandar district.
The delegation, including Gujarat PCC chief Arjun Modhwadia and leader of the opposition in the Gujarat assembly Shankarsinh Vaghela, also asked for the sacking of Purushottambhai Solanki, against whom the Gujarat high court has ordered registration of a criminal case in a Rs 420-crore scandal, besides the No. 2 in the Modi ministry, Nitin Patel who is facing five different cases of offences. They also asked for the removal of another minister Pradipsinh Jadeja, who is facing trial before a metropolitan magistrate for violation of the Representation of People Act.
“Modi claims clean administration through publicity media while covering up hooligans in his council of ministers. We told the President that 32 MLAs of the BJP were facing various criminal cases. One ex-minister, Mayaben Kodnani, is behind the bars for mass killing and rioting in Gujarat while another ex-minister Amit Shah has been to jail as an accused of fake encounter and his trial is pending,” said former opposition leader Shaktisinh Gohil, who was part of the delegation.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}