Gandhinagar: Congress on Tuesday demanded that state Water Resource minister Babu Bokhariya, convicted in the Rs 54 crore illegal limestone mining scam, should be disqualified from the state Assembly.
In a memorandum submitted to Gujarat Speaker Vaju Vala today, Leader of Opposition Shankarsinh Vaghela alongwith other Congress legislators demanded that the `tainted` BJP minister facing three-year jail term in the scam, should be disqualified from the state Assembly as per provision of the Representation of People Act 1951.
"As per rule, disqualification is applicable to an elected MLA if he is facing more than two years of jail term in any case," a statement released by the party said.
The real face of the ruling BJP government making tall claims of ending fear, hunger and corruption in the state has been exposed as its MLA Madhu Srivastava, minister Purshottam Solanki, MP Dinu Solanki, MLA Maya Kodnani, ex-MP Babu Katara, former minister Amit Shah, all have a tainted (criminal) past, the statement said.
A senior minister in the Narendra Modi government, Babu Bokhariya was on Saturday sentenced to three years imprisonment by a court in Porbandar in the Rs 54 crore illegal limestone mining case of 2006.
Incidentally, Bokhiria was today granted bail by a session court in Porbandar.
Bokhiria along with former Congress MP Bharat Odedara, Bhima Dula Odedara and his son Lakshman Dula Odedara, who is chairman of Porbandar marketing yard, were sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000 each.
In 2006, manager of Saurashtra Chemical Company Umesh Bhavsar registered a complaint against the four alleging that they had illegally mined limestone from the land where the company held mining rights and it had to face a loss of Rs 54 crore due to the illegal mining done by them.
PTI
