This Article is From Nov 10, 2014

Swacch Bharat But Not Clean Politics: Congress Targets PM Modi's New Ministers

Swacch Bharat But Not Clean Politics: Congress Targets PM Modi's New Ministers

Ajay Maken brings taint charge against new ministers.

New Delhi: The Congress questioned the appointments of several ministers in Team Modi a day after the Prime Minister inducted 21 ministers into his cabinet. Speaking at a special briefing today, party's communication chief Ajay Maken said, "The Prime Minister is talking about Swacch Bharat, but not about Swacch Rajneeti."

The names on the party's hit-list included YS Chowdary, Ram Shankar Katheria, Giriraj Singh, JP Nadda and Dr Harsh Vardhan. 

"YS Chowdary's Sujana Group has over Rs 300 crore as loans, non-performing assets. We want to ask PM Modi if due diligence was done?" Mr Maken said.

According to a circular issued by the Bank Employees Association, which is currently in possession of the Congress, Mr Chowdary, the minister for Science and Technology, has non-performing assets worth Rs 317 crore on loan from the Central Bank of India, Mr Maken said.

"This minister should resign and the Prime Minister should apologise to the country," he said. 

Regarding Mr Nadda, who has got the health and family welfare portfolio, and his predecessor Dr Harsh Vardhan, Mr Maken indicated they had irregularly removed Sanjiv Chaturvedi, Chief Vigilance Officer of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.  Mr Chaturvedi, who had uncovered a string of corruption cases, was removed in August and it was reported that Mr Nadda had sought his removal.

The government had said Mr Chaturvedi's appointment had been opposed by the Central Vigilance Commission. "Was it a matter of incompetence or something else?" Mr Maken said today.

Giriraj Singh who is in charge of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises portfolio, had Rs 1 crore unaccounted for cash in his house, Mr Maken pointed out. The amount was recovered from a thief, who admitted that he had stolen the cash from Mr Singh's Patna house. Mr Singh had claimed the cash belonged to a cousin.

Also, he said ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Mr Singh had suggested that the critics of the Prime Minister move to Pakistan. The remark was perceived to be anti-Muslim.

Ram Shankar Katheria, the Minister from Agra, who would be the junior minister for the Human Resource Development Ministry, had 21 criminal cases lodged against him, Mr Maken added. 
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