BJP MLA says CM Trivendra Rawat shielding corrupt
Four-term MLA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion claimed that a ‘powerful minister’ was calling the shots.
Fresh trouble is brewing in the ruling BJP in Uttarakhand with a four-term legislator accusing chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat of protecting the corrupt at the behest of a ‘powerful cabinet minister.”
Kunwar Pranav Singh, MLA from Khanpur, said he would take up the matter with party chief Amit Shah.
“The chief minister is under the influence of a strong cabinet minister from my district, who is weakening our party and protecting the corrupt,” Singh said.
The MLA didn’t name the minister. Madan Kaushik, who represents Haridwar (urban), is a minister in Rawat cabinet.
“I will leave for Delhi on Monday and will meet the party chief the next day. I will take up with him the issue of the chief minister not paying heed to my complaints relating to corruption,” Singh, a former Congress heavyweight who joined the BJP about two years back, said. He said he took up with the CM complaints about various issues dogging the Haridwar District Panchayat several times in the past.
“Those complaints were serious as they pertained to corruption and some our leaders working against the interest of the party but they went unheeded,” Singh, a scion of erstwhile royal family, said. “I am now taking up such issues of serious nature directly with our party chief.”
Those complaints also pertained to a conspiracy being hatched to weaken the ruling BJP in Haridwar. In that connection, he cites the case of three-member committee of Haridwar Zila Panchayat constituted last year. According to Singh the panel in had a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader from Haridwar, Mohammad Sattar. “This person from the BSP had no business to be on board but he was brought in by the influential Cabinet minister from Haridwar,” he said. Singh alleged that the BSP MLA was the brother-in-law of former Haridwar zila parishad chairperson Anjum Beg.
“She is the same woman from whose official car an amount of Rs 3 crore was recovered last year,” he said. Subsequently, following an inquiry she was removed from the position of the zila parishad chairperson and her husband was sent to jail.” Singh said adding none of the BJP leaders were happy with the way the BSP leader got a back door entry into the panel. “Even former chief minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank who is a parliamentarian from Hariwar has complained to the party leadership.”
Equally “upset” with development were the leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Singh said he had urged the CM to have the BSP member replaced with a local BJP worker. “My request went unheeded,” the Khanpur MLA alleged accusing “the influential cabinet minister” of weakening the party by facilitating the entry of Muslim leaders. He is adopting the tactic to ensure that none of the ruling party legislators from Haridwar district emerged stronger. Singh also alleged that the CM was not taking any action against his complaints against some corrupt officials protected by the Cabinet minister.
Kaushik couldn’t be reached for his comments. Party’s state chief Ajay Bhatt sought to make light of the issue saying Singh would not take any step that would damage the BJP. He refuted the allegations that the CM was protecting the corrupt or those working against the ruling party.
