03 August,2017 09:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Dharmendra Jore
As demand for his resignation continues, supporters of Prakash Mehta issue statement, saying BJPâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088members are tarnishing his reputation to get his job
Prakash Mehta
Even as the Opposition in state legislature continued to demand his resignation over corruption charges, housing minister Prakash Mehta's supporters have expectedly blamed his rivals within the Bharatiya Janata Party as the source of these allegations.
In an unsigned statement that went viral on Wednesday, Mehta's camp said several leaders and office-bearers in the BJP were tarnishing his reputation to get his plum job.
When grilled two days ago in the House in Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's presence, Mehta had said he had inadvertently deemed the CM's approval for the proposal (in which he is accused of wrongdoing) unnecessary, and pushed the file for further process. The CM had washed his hands off it and asked Mehta to clarify his stand, and then, ordered an inquiry in the matter.
The Opposition demanded on Wednesday that if Mehta was unwilling to resign, then he be sacked from the Cabinet, because he might influence the inquiry that has been ordered against him. The matter was raised repeatedly in the ongoing monsoon session of the state legislature.
If Khadse, why not Mehta?
Mehta is the second senior BJP minister after Eknath Khadse to face such an inquiry over corruption charges. Khadse quit last year and faced a commission of inquiry, which submitted its report last month. He is also battling court cases in the same matter. Little wonder then that the Opposition asked the government why Khadse and Mehta were not being treated in the same manner.
Expectations from CM
The statement that showed both chinks and power struggle in the BJP made a smart attempt to keep Fadnavis under pressure by saying the judicious CM was expected to foil a plot (conspiracy) against Mehta.
Mehta is accused of illegally transferring floor space index from a slum rehabilitation (SRA) scheme to a project-affected people (PAP) scheme without keeping Fadnavis in the loop. The Opposition had alleged that the FSI transfer would gain a private builder at least Rs 500 crore. The proposal was stalled by the CM when it was brought to his notice.
The Mehta camp said the Opposition as well as some antagonists in the BJP were targeting him and trying to tarnish his reputation as they had an axe to grind in the case. "Many of his disgruntled colleagues and party office-bearers are eyeing his chair, and hence, they have launched a veiled attack on him," the statement said.
It is said in political circles that several BJP leaders, including Fadnavis, have not been happy with Mehta's performance. On Monday, the CM did defend Mehta by telling the Assembly that he was satisfied with his colleague's explanation. But when Mehta tried to defend himself, he had no option but to admit to the irregularity.
