Guv seeks Modi's 'fast' funds

Beniwal, who has been at loggerheads with the state government over the appointment of Lokayukta, dashed off a letter to the additional chief secretary of the General Administration Department seeking details.  The letter follows a representation received from Mahagujarat Janta Party Chief Gordhan Zadafia. Beniwal has sought the expenditure details as per the rules of business of the state assembly.

“The chief minister or the government cannot either spent money or collect money without the permission and intimation from the state assembly. This is a clear violation of norms and we want to know from the chief minister as to how much money has been spent and from which source the expenditure has been made,’’ he said.

Zadafia is also on a three-day “Samvedana” fast to oppose the chief minister’s show. “We have requested the governor to get an explanation from the government for wasting Rs 55 crore of public money from the exchequer. The chief minister has totally misused public funds for his publicity fast.  It’s open loot. We have requested the governor to get details of accounting and budget for chief minister’s fast,’’ he said. The government is still to divulge the amount spent on the event. 

The Congress has already targeted Modi for spending the money from the state exchequer. The chief minister held a maha rally on Sunday demanding governor’s recall for her alleged partisan approach.

Past Confrontations

* Mandatory voting bill which makes voting mandatory in local self governments. Passed by the state assembly last year, the governor returned the bill saying it impinges on freedom of expression
* The women reservation bill. The governor returned the bill to the state assembly stating that the women reservation cannot be linked to the mandatory voting.
* Impact fee bill, passed in the last state assembly session, had earlier by her unsigned in July this year . In her objection, she had said there was no transparent provision in it to ensure that illegal constructions in urban areas would not recur after the payment of fine.
* Gujarat Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2011, which she had also returned, saying it allows grant-in-aid colleges to be turned into private universities, forcing thousands of students to pay higher fees. These colleges were built on government subsidies, she had pointed out.
* The appointment of Lokayukta bypassing the state government.