Modi appoints commission to look into graft charges

The Government of Gujarat on Wednesday announced setting up of an inquiry commission under a retired Supreme Court judge, justice M B Shah to inquire into the 17-point corruption charges levelled against Modi government by Congress, the opposition party in the state. The Gujarat Congress had made a number of corruption charges against the ruling BJP government in a memorandum submitted to the President of India earlier this year.

The state government spokespersons Jay Narayan Vyas and Saurabh Patel informed that the decision to appoint the commission was taken at the cabinet meeting headed by the chief minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The commission has been formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act-1952, they said.

In June this year, the opposition party in state assembly, Congress had met President Pratibha Patil and submitted a memorandum with "documentary evidences" that said "the government and the chief minister have committed corruption in several projects."

The commission set up by Modi would inquire into the 17 allegations made by the Congress in its memorandum to the President. "This has been necessitated to bring the ‘truth’ to the people over the allegations made by the Congress. The state government is committed to have a transparent inquiry into whatever allegations have been made," the spokespersons said.

The Shah Commission would inquire into 17 charges including favoritism towards certain industrial houses besides several others. The commission will also study and compare with other states the manner which land allocation had been allocated, analyse sales tax/commercial taxes, stamp duty and all tax concessions and deferment of taxes vis-à-vis those states with Gujarat.

Also it will look into post-1980 role of successive state governments in giving special relaxations to industrial houses, the spokespersons informed. The commission is expected to complete inquiry and submit its report to the state government by March 31, 2012.

However, the leader of opposition, Shaktisinh Gohil turned down state government's move of appointing the commission saying, "By the appointment of commission to inquire into charges of corruption against himself, the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has proved that he feared Lokayukta most. This is just because the chief minister and his ministers are involved in corruption at a mammoth scale," Gohil demanded.