Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has allegedly sacked the State Mining Minister Gayatri Prajapati and Cabinet Minister Raj Kishore Singh though no formal announcement regarding the ouster has been made yet.
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The party had alleged that as Prajapati is favourite of party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, no action was being taken against him.
In an image-refurbishing exercise ahead of Assembly elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today sacked two ministers facing corruption charges while more heads could roll.
On July 28, the Allahabad high court had ordered a CBI investigation into allegations of rampant corruption in mining division and oedered the probe team to present a status report of the investigation within six weeks. The State challenged the order for a CBI probe but on September 9, the HC dismissed its plea, putting pressure on the Akhilesh Yadav government.
Akhilesh was said to be unhappy with the minister who was mired in controversy over allegations of promoting illegal mining. Singh is facing graft charges in land grab and check-dam scam. Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said,”Illegal mining is rampant in the state and it is an open secret that he was promoting it. Now when the HC has taken serious view of the matter and ordered CBI probe, the CM’s decision is if hardly any outcome”, Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said.
BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said the action was too late as these ministers have already siphoned off several thousand crore of rupees from the public exchequer.”Sacking these ministers five months prior to elections will not serve any goal for the Samajwadi Party as people know whom these ministers were serving”, he said.
BJP state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak, however, commended the chief minister’s decision. “The decision should have been taken earlier”, Mr Pathak said.
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Moolchand Chauhan, State minister for food processing and gardening, will now have additional charge of mining and minerals, while State social welfare minister Ramgovind Chaudhary will have the additional responsibility of Panchayati Raj ministry.
