FORMER UNION Minister Prahlad Patel today alleged that the State Government had already made up its mind to remove Vijay Singh from the post of Chief Secretary because he was reluctant to give clean chit to certain ministers involved in scams. The affidavit goof-up issue provided an opportunity to the government to do so, he added.
Though he did not mention any minister despite persistent queries of journalists, he said the Simhastha and Indore scams were the two he was talking about.
The former Union Minister and staunch Uma supporter started a 51-hour fast at Roshanpura Square today to protest against the State Government’s alleged attempt to shield the officials involved in Rs 734 crore loan disbursement scandal. He demanded a CBI inquiry into the scam.
He came to the venue opposite Panchanan Bhavan at 1.30 pm accompanied by BJP MLAs Sunil Naik, Hakam Singh Chadar and Jalam Singh Patel. Others who accompanied him included Bhagwandas Sabnani, Vikash Virani, Shaitan Singh Pal and Sudhir Agarwal.
The posters around the venue carried slogans against the State Government and the Chief Minister in particular. Patel alleged the State Government was trying to shield the officials instead of punishing them. The affidavit of the government filed in the High Court proved this, he added.
Shifting of the officials from their present posting is no punishment, he said, adding an official who was mainly involved in disbursement of the amount, has been given an important posting.
{{/usCountry}}Shifting of the officials from their present posting is no punishment, he said, adding an official who was mainly involved in disbursement of the amount, has been given an important posting.
{{/usCountry}}Further, the government did not initiate any proceeding either to withdraw the affidavit from High Court or move Supreme Court in this regard, he added. He said after the fast he would urge the Governor to seek a report from the government on the entire episode.