SP minister calls own dept corrupt, shocks officials

Yet another Samajwadi Party leader leaves Akhilesh govt red-faced

It seems Uttar Pradesh ministers are bent on embarrassing their own government with their irresponsible remarks every now then, notwithstanding repeated warnings by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Not long after a senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav favoured ‘controlled corruption’, another senior minister for child development and nutrition Ram Gobind Chaudhary caused a flutter by candidly admitting that his department was ‘corrupt’.

“Commissionkhori (taking bribe) is rampant in my department,” Chaudhary reportedly told his department officials at a meeting at Raebareli on Saturday.

The officials were shocked and offended by his remark. “Not everyone is corrupt,” an official said. Incidentally, Chaudhary, who also controls the basic education portfolio, a few months ago, had openly advocated caning in schools.

Speaking at a meeting of teachers, he had said ban on caning had ‘encouraged indiscipline’ in schools.

“The students have stopped taking interest in studies as they know that they will not be subjected to physical punishment,” Chaudhary had said.

He had then cited his own experience to buttress his contention. “When I was a student, my teacher used to cane me five times for every wrong answer,” he said