The Week: Gujarat: Nandini Oza: Wednesday, July 11, 2012.
In a major embarrassment ahead of the Gujarat polls this year, two ministers in the Narendra Modi government agriculture and co-operative department minister Dilip Sanghani and minister of state for fisheries Purshottam Solanki are in the eye of a corruption storm.
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| Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated with a wooden cart by Agriculture Minister Dilip Sanghani during "Krushi Mahotsav" at Nanapondha village in Valsad |
Sanghani's image as clean politician was always in question but the real punch came when an RTI activist Nathalal Sukhadia, from Amreli, Sanghani's assembly constituency, filed a number of RTI applications that revealed his alleged role in a Rs 500 crore scam. Sanghani, along with his family members, is accused of granting favours to trusts in exchange of land and aid.
Amreli court has ordered a probe against Sanghani after Sukhadia was attacked a few days ago. Sukhadia has alleged that he was attacked at the behest of the minister.
The second blow for the government came when the Gujarat High Court on July 6 asked Governor Kamla Beniwal to take a final decision on whether Solanki could be prosecuted for the alleged Rs 400 crore scam of awarding fishing contracts. The state government had reportedly refused to sanction Solanki's prosecution. The matter has been adjourned till July 30.
Solanki is accused of awarding fishing contracts in 58 reservoirs in the state, much below the amount fixed for the bids.
One of the allegations by the anti-Modi camp led by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel is of corruption in governance. Patel's agenda also found support from Anna Hazare Group member Arvind Kejriwal, who alleged Modi was sheltering corrupt ministers like Solanki. Kejriwal also dragged in revenue minister Anandi Patel, widely considered as Modi's successor if he moves to New Delhi. He claimed that he had gone through certain documents allegedly involving Anandi in a land scam. These allegations need to be investigated, he said.
These allegations are in direct contrast with Modi's supposedly clean image. One of his famous quotes is “hun khato nathi ane khava deto nathi” which means “I do not take bribe and do not allow others to take bribe.”
BJP state spokesperson Vijay Rupani said that these allegations are politically motivated and that Congress was behind it. “Nothing has emerged out of these allegations so far,” he added. Rupani further said that the matter was being legally dealt with.
State Congress president Arjun Modhwadia rubbished the claim that the allegations were politically motivated. He said that Solanki's case was one of the many scams exposed by the Opposition. “In fact, we are demanding an independent inquiry by a Lokayukta or CBI because tenders of such high value cannot be passed by a person of minister of state level,” he said.
Modhwadia said that corruption in the Modi government was one of the key issues that would be highlighted in the Assembly elections.
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