Former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav have been charged by the CBI regarding irregularities in sanctioning the tender for maintenance of hotels. The FIR lists irregularities in the tender for development, maintenance and operation of BNR Hotels in Ranchi and Puri, sanctioned to the private Sujata Hotels in 2006. CBI raids were conducted at the premises of Lalu and his family members. Following the raids, BJP has been demanding the resignation of Tejashwi on account of him being charged with a CBI case. Tejashwi has called these raids as a political vendetta against him and his father.
On the demand of BJP for resignation, questions are being raised that if BJP thinks ministers charged with CBI cases should step down and resign, why was this ideology not followed during the time when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. During his term as the CM for 12 years in Gujarat, Modi’s cabinet also had some corrupt ministers who held the post even after being charged by CBI.
The first sitting minister ever to be convicted of corruption was Babubhai Bokhiria, in the Rs 54 crore illegal limestone mining case in June 2013. Though he was sentenced to an imprisonment of three years by the court, he continued as minister holding important portfolios of agriculture and water resources.
Another Gujarat minister, Parshottam Solanki was also charged in a Rs 400 crore fishing contracts scam. He was accused of distributing fishing contracts for 58 reservoirs way below market rates, as per the data the bids which were annually worth Rs 40 crore were awarded at just Rs 2.36 crore for ten years. Regarding this, the Modi government in Gujarat did not take any action and Solanki continued to serve under Modi, Anandiben and still remains a minister under Vijay Rupani.
Even Uma Bharti continues to be a minister and holds the important portfolio of for Water Resources, who is a charged in the case of demolition of Babri Masjid case.
The BJP did not raise it voice against any of these ministers nor demanded any of their resignations than why is it asking for Tejashwi to resign, even when just the case is filed and he is still not proven guilty. In Tejashwi’s case, an FIR has only just been registered on July 5. The CBI will have to file a charge sheet and then prove in court of law that Tejashwi was indeed involved in corrupt practices. Until then nobody can force him to resign as he is not proven guilty yet.