Gadkari gives clean chit to Nishank

Under fire over a series of accusations, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today heaved a sigh of relief after getting a clean chit from his national party president, Nitin Gadkari.

“I have seen all the relevant papers and found everything right,” said Gadkari, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, on opposition parties’ allegations of financial irregularities in a series of infrastructure projects, including allotment of 56 hydel projects.Gadkari also put to rest speculation on a change of guard in the hill state. “Mr Nishank is doing fine job and will continue to do so.” he said

The comments came amid speculation that the BJP might go for another change of guard before the next assembly elections due in 2012. Nishank replaced Maj Gen (retd) B C Khanduri last year, after the BJP lost all the five parliamentary seats in the state.

However, Gadkari said he had advised the government to launch new development schemes, particularly related to tourism sector, which creates high job opportunities.

Nishank is facing a scathing attack from the opposition after the allotment of hydel projects to some liquor companies, among other issues. They are seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe. Union minister of state for labour Harish Rawat also asked Nishank to cancel a Rishikesh housing project, saying the land-use pattern was changed in a hurry.

Gadkari reiterated an earlier promise to press the case for extension to the concessional industrial package for hill states, alleging the Centre was discriminating against Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand (both run by BJP governments).

“We will be forced to launch an agitation if the excise incentives are not restored,” he said, two days after a BJP delegation led by former deputy prime minister L K Advani called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard.

Else, he said, the BJP would restore the package with retrospective effect if it came to power in 2014 at Delhi.