EC reprimands Gujarat agriculture minister for code violation

The Election Commission (EC) has reprimanded Gujarat agriculture law minister Dileep Sanghani for performing ground breaking ceremony for a paved road in Amreli town, his constituency, which was violation of the model code of conduct. Mahesh Langa reports.

The Election Commission (EC) has reprimanded Gujarat agriculture law minister Dileep Sanghani for performing ground breaking ceremony for a paved road in Amreli town, his constituency, which was violation of the model code of conduct.

The Sanghani who also holds the law portfolio, had performed the ceremony at the event on October 4, a day after the code of conduct came in place following the announcement of the assembly polls scheduled by the EC on October 3.

The EC’s code of conduct prohibits any minister to perform any inauguration, ground breaking ceremony or any government function till the electoral process is over.

“Following the complaint against Sanghani, a show cause notice was issued to him asking him to explain. The video footage and other evidences came on record proved that the minister had indeed violated code of conduct by performing the event,” a senior official from Amreli collectorate said.

According to him, a detailed report was sent to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gujarat, who examined it and forwarded the same to the EC in Delhi for appropriate action.

Gujarat CEO Anita Karwal held that the minister’s act was in violation of the rules and provisions governing code of conduct.

A close aide of chief minister Narendra Modi, Sanghani has courted several controversies involving threatening a local RTI activist and facing serious allegations of corruption and irregularities in his department.