Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav dismissed mining minister Gayatri Prajapati and panchayati raj minister Raj Kishore Singh from his Cabinet on Monday, allegedly over charges of corruption.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav dismissed mining minister Gayatri Prajapati and panchayati raj minister Raj Kishore Singh from his Cabinet on Monday, allegedly over charges of corruption.
The dismissal of the mining minster, said to be close to Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and his younger son Prateek Yadav, comes days after the Allahabad high court rejected the state government’s plea to withdraw an order for CBI inquiry into allegations of illegal mining in the state.
On July 28, the Allahabad high court had directed the CBI to investigate illegal mining in the state, including the role of government officials in facilitating the same, and submit a report within six weeks.
On Friday, the court had also rejected an application by the state government for the withdrawal of its order. The dismissal of the minister is seen as a move by the government to save itself from the inquiry and let the sacked minister face the consequences of the investigation. Illegal mining in the sate, allegedly to the tune of '4,000 crore per month, had made Mr Prajapati a controversial figure.
A source in the government said that the chief minister was upset with Mr Prajapati, but could not act against him due to his proximity with the party chief. Illegal mining has been rampant ever since the Akhilesh government came to power. IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal was suspended when she tried to stop illegal mining in Greater Noida, an issue that caused national outrage.
Allegations were levelled against Panchayati Raj minister Raj Kishore Singh in recent months regarding corruption and land grabbing family members. He is also alleged to have demanded money from the zilla panchayat members in his constituency.
The dismissal of the two ministers is also being seen as an attempt by the Akhilesh Yadav government to rescue its image, but Opposition leaders have termed the clean-up exercise as “too late and too little”.
Congress leader and former UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said that this was merely eyewash since the matter was under the active consideration of the high court and a CBI inquiry was imminent.
BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that the chief minister should have taken action earlier. “Since the past four and a half years, allegations of corruption are being levelled against ministers even by the Samajwadi Party president. The BJP has been raising the issue of illegal mining from time to time,” he said.
