Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday sacked his controversial Mining Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati.
The decision came three days after the Allahabad High Court rejected the State government’s application against a CBI investigation into allegations of illegal mining across the State.
Along with Mr. Prajapati, Mr. Yadav dismissed Panchayati Raj and Minor Irrigation Minister Raj Kishore Singh, whose name has surfaced in the alleged scandal in construction of check-dams and cases of land grabbing.
There was no official word on the reason for sackings from the CM or the ruling Samajwadi Party. However, a Raj Bhawan spokesperson said the two ministers were “dismissed from office” by Governor Ram Naik on the “recommendations” of Mr. Yadav.
Close on the heels of the HC snub, observers view the decision as Mr. Yadav’s way of shielding his ‘clean image,’ on the basis of which the SP hopes to run its 2017 campaign.
In July, the HC directed a CBI probe into it after a Public Interest Litigation contended that mining leases of several lessees had been "unlawfully extended" by authorities.
The court ordered the agency to submit a report in six weeks. It also expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation given by the State, terming the submission by principal secretary (mining) that a committee had been set up to look into illegal mining as an “eyewash.” The State challenged the order for a CBI probe but on September 9, the HC dismissed its plea, putting pressure on the Akhilesh Yadav government.
A first-time MLA from Amethi, Mr. Prajapati has been mired in controversy and allegations of corruption and land grabs throughout his tenure, even leading to the Lokayukta to probe a case of disproportionate assets against him. After starting out at a minister of State for irrigation in 2013, his political career has grown fast as just before the Lok Sabha elections he was made a cabinet minister with the rewarding berth of mining.
Earlier this year he once again came under the scanner of the Lokayukta after a complaint was made that his daughter was one of the alleged beneficiaries of the ‘Kanya Dhan Yojana,’ which is awarded to those under the BPL category. Mr. Prajapati is a declared millionaire.
Though considered close to the CM and the SP supremo Mulayam Singh, Mr. Prajapati has been a constant source of embarrassment for the government due to the allegations against him. In 2014, a widow from Amethi even staged a dharna in the heart of Lucknow accusing him of land grab.
Opposition parties described the sackings as a mere eyewash. Saying that the removal of tainted ministers was a “mere drama” and “not enough,” BJP UP president Keshav Prasad Maurya demanded Mr. Yadav’s resignation on moral grounds. He alleged that the corrupt ministers enjoyed the CM’s patronage. If Mr. Yadav was against corruption, why did his government challenge the HC order of a CBI probe into illegal mining in the State? Mr. Maurya asked.
Congress spokesperson and former minister Satyadev Tripathi said the sackings were only an attempt to improve the image of the government ahead of the elections as illegal mining had been rampant in the State for the past four years but no action was taken.
Moolchand Chauhan, State minister for food processing and gardening, will now have additional charge of mining and minerals, while State social welfare minister Ramgovind Chaudhary will have the additional responsibility of Panchayati Raj ministry. CM Yadav will now also have the charge of minor irrigation and livestock.
