Congress slams Prime Minister for inducting ‘tainted ministers’, questions logic of expansion

NEW DELHI: Congress has questioned the ‘logic’ behind the Cabinet expansion and slammed the prime minister for inducting ‘tainted’ ministers.

Claiming that the Cabinet reshuffle “sounded hollow and lacked rationale”, Congress on Monday demanded “an apology” from the prime minister for “failing to deliver his pre-election promise on clean and minimum government” and for “inducting tainted persons”.

Addressing a press conference, AICC communication chairman Ajay Maken alleged that newly inducted minister YS Chowdhury’s company has defaulted on repayment of Rs 317.6 crore with the Central Bank of India. “Either the PM must explain his induction or sack this minister,” Maken demanded while asking “did you make him a minister to save him from default”.

Maken alleged another new minister, R Katheria “has a record of 23 cases against him in the affidavit he has filed with the EC.” Further, citing the reported recovery worth Rs 1.25 crore stolen from the house of Giriraj Singh, he said, “People of the country want to know from the PM who is tainted if not a person from whose residence such huge cash is recovered and the matter is being inquired by the Income-Tax Department. Has I-T given a clean chit to him? The Congress wants to know from Modi why there is hiatus between words and deeds. You talk of cleaning Parliament of criminals, but (you) go on inducting tainted ministers. Their induction also goes against the recent SC observation urging the prime minister and chief ministers not to induct tainted persons as ministers,” Maken said.

He said, “If the ministers for railways and health were changed because of lack of performance, it means BJP government has been a failure... Gowda’s assets rose from Rs 9.88 crore to Rs 20.35 crore...”