INDIA
After Mahipal Maderana was sacked over his alleged involvement in the disappearance of nurse Bhanwari Devi a clean-up of other ministers seems imminent.
With Mahipal Maderana sacked from the Rajasthan cabinet over his alleged involvement in the disappearance of nurse Bhanwari Devi, at least three other ministers are also likely to be axed or their portfolios changed in the near future. Maderana's ouster Sunday is one of the steps taken by Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to help his government wriggle out of controversies surrounding his ministers. A clean-up seems imminent.
Water resources minister Maderana allegedly features in a CD showing him in a compromising position with the missing nurse, who it is widely believed may have been murdered. Other factors, including the displeasure of the minority community after Bharatpur's Gopalgarh violence and some ministers' involvement in corruption, have also forced the Congress leadership in New Delhi to put things in order before the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next year.
Party sources say a cabinet reshuffle is likely. The ministers in the line of fire are Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Food and Civil Supply Minister Babulal Naagar, Agriculture Minister Bharosi Lal Jatav and possibly Minister for Mining and Environment Ramlal Jaat. Dhariwal is being directly targeted by the Meo Muslim community here after the Gopalgarh violence that claimed 10 lives, the majority of them Muslims, and left 21 injured Sep 14.
The Meos are demanding his resignation. "Dhariwal is likely to be replaced. It is possible he will continue to hold the urban development and housing portfolio," said a source. A lower court in Jaipur recently ordered police to lodge an FIR against Nagar and some policemen on charges of threatening, thrashing and keeping a man in illegal custody.
Rameshwar Lal Chaudhary, an ex-sarpanch, had also lodged a complaint some months back with the state's anti-corruption bureau (ACB) against Nagar for alleged corruption. He alleged that minister attempted to hush him up. Jaatav and his four sons have landed in trouble for mining on forest land.
As for Jaat, hastening the postmortem of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances proved costly for him. While he was allegedly present at the mortuary at a hospital in Bhilwara, the district collector gave special permission for the autopsy to be conducted at 2 am September 29. The woman, Parsi Devi, was the wife of Bhilwara Dairy's president Ratan Lal Choudhary.
"In the cabinet reshuffle, the focus will be on possible damage to the Congress' Jat vote bank done by Maderana's outster. He and his father Parasram Maderana hold sway over the Jat community which are a dominant force in 40-50 assembly constituencies," said a senior Congress leader. He added that Maderana was likely to be succeeded by some other prominent Jat leader. Four-time legislator Shravan Kumar is one of the frontrunners.
"The names which are doing the rounds for ministerial berths include Ramnarayan Meena and Shravan Kumar, Bhagwan Sahay Saini and present assembly speaker Dipendra Singh Shekhwat," said the Congerss leader. He added that the legislator from Srimadhopur constituency Dipendra Singh has been lobbying for a cabinet berth for a long time as he is not happy with his present responsibility.
Meet Hyderabad girl who began NEET preparation in class 7, scored 99.9 percentile, secured AIR...
Badshah breaks his silence on dating rumours with Pakistani star Hania Aamir: ‘We have a lot of…’
Delhi pollution: Air quality deteriorates to 'severe' category in Delhi-NCR; AQI at 419
'I think bro is her EX': Man performs risky bike stunt with burqa-clad woman in Bangladesh, watch
Viral video: Little girl's power-packed dance to 'beer song' melts hearts online, watch
Explained: Why India must win the 1st Test against Australia in Perth
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here