Cong demands Gadkari’s resignation for corruption in projects
19 March,New Delhi
Congress Saturday demanded resignation from Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari for alleged corruption and irregularity in Rs 10,500 crore Zojila tunnel project and some other road projects.
Talking to mediapersons at the party headquarters here this afternoon, party General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh also charged Prime Minister Narendra Modi with reluctance in taking action on the complaints of corruption against the members of his Cabinet.
Singh said, “Instead of crony capitalism, there is crony nexus between the engineer and the Minister that stands established..,..Would Mr Nitin Gadkari please come clean on this or come on a panel discussion with me so that we can discuss Zojila Pass Tunnel case. I do not think he will come.
He said, “I had filed a complaint against the award of the contract of constructing Zojila tunnel to a single bidder, now the contract has been cancelled but those who involved in corruption has not been punished. “I am going to write to the Chairman of the Standing Committee of Ministry of Highways and Road Transport to particularly examine this case which is a symbol of corruption in the NDA Government.
The Congress leader alleged that Minister Gadkari’s office is “manipulating” tenders and demanded Nitin Gadkari’s resignation from the post. “I demand Nitin Gadkari’s resignation. I have done that in my speech on the Budget on the floor of the House(Rajya Sabha)”.
”The Minister with funds of more Rs 70,000 crore is manipulating the tenders and the contracts through his, may be, his classmate who is being protected by the Government of Maharashtra, whose name has been taken out of the FIR, (in ACB case about Ghodazari irrigation project) who now as an OSD has been made In-charge of handling all tenders and contracts of the Ministry of Highways and Road Transport for his expertise in manipulating the tenders and contracts which we would like the PM, if he is really serious, to take action”, he quipped.
Asked that since no results have come out of the so many corruption cases including VYAPAM raised by him, there has been no response from the Prime Minister, Singh said by not acting on these issues in spite of these strong evidences which had been brought to his notice, he is encouraging his colleagues to go ahead. Let us see, what action he takes in this Zojila Pass Tunnel contract”.