JOIN USAkhilesh sacks yet another minister
The Samajwadi Party ministers continue to embarrass the Uttar Pradesh government and ruling party despite the efforts of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to inculcate discipline among them.
Close on the heels of a minister abducting a senior health official, another UP minister allegedly assaulted and held a photo journalist hostage for hours after the latter clicked a few shots of an under construction building being built illegally in Lucknow.
Chairman of the state Khadi and Village Industries Board Natwar Goyal, who enjoys status of minister of state, was later sacked by Akhilesh and expelled from the party.
Following his arrest, as it happens in case of arrest of almost all the politicians, Goyal complained of chest pain and was admitted to hospital.
Goyal, who owns a real estate company, had allegedly demolished a primary school apparently in connivance with the district education officials in a posh locality. He was getting a high rise apartment block constructed in its place.
The photo journalist who took a few photographs of the under construction building on Tuesday was allegedly roughed up by the minister and his goons and held hostage for several hours.
He could be rescued after a large number of scribes reached there with police.
Goyal is the second minister to have been sacked after behaving typically like a goonda.
Recently minister for rehabilitation and revenue Vinod Singh alias Pandit Singh had been sacked after he abuducted chief medical officer of Gonda district to force him to appoint his candidates as doctors.
Earlier also, the state ministers have embarrassed Akhilesh.
Past cases
A few months back Akhilesh’s uncle and PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, while speaking at a meeting of the PWD officials, openly advocated graft saying they could “steal a little if they work hard”.
The list is quite long. Another minister openly threatened to kill those indulging in corruption while senior minister Azam Khan called the police officials dalals (brokers).
The party has been trying hard to get rid of the goonda tag but it seems that the ministers not interested.
The task for Akhilesh is also not getting any easier despite all his best efforts.