Will Gujarat governor’s letter to govt create another stand-off?

Is Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla’s letter seeking details about the expenses for the three-day Sadbhavna fast from the government a pre-cursor to another political stand-off? Though the government was yet to respond till Tuesday evening, observers feared that the issue will generate more political hay than it deserves.

A day after the governor asked the government to provide details of the expenses made from the state treasury for the three-day Sadbhavna fast of chief minister Narendra Modi, officials in the secretariat felt the issue was being given undue importance.

For the babudom, the Sadbhavna fast was a hot topic of discussion for the past fortnight. Even those who criticised the concept of the fast asserted that the expense would not be as high as Rs55 crore as was being touted by some sources.

Even as the government is yet to reply to the Governor’s query, sources indicated that the details may not be as shocking as anticipated.

“The assembly session ended today, so the government may respond sometime during the week. Since it is a query from the governor, the government will reply for sure. However, the governor has not asked for a reply within a stipulated time frame,” a source said.

However, another official said it may not be that simple for the government to furnish how the expenses were sanctioned if the requisite government resolutions were not passed at the time.

“Officials these days are very scared of fudging records. The fast can be explained as a government programme, but not if the requisites were not followed at the time,” he said.