Solanki tone turns
shriller
I’m watching government, says deputy minister
Maintaining
an aggressive stand, Deputy Minister for Labour and Employment Purshottam
Solanki today ridiculed Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya for
tarnishing the State Government’s image by his resignation drama and
taunted him, stating that he was with Pandya in his "fight against anti-social
elements."
Solanki held out a threat
to move the Gujarat High Court against the "misuse’ of Section 307 for
attempt to murder against his brother Bharat, if the government proceeded
further in his brother’s case. "I am waiting and watching the next move
by the government," Solanki asserted, in an oblique reference to Haren
Pandya’s claim that the Chief Minister had promised him a free hand
in dealing with criminal cases.
Solanki, who attended office
here on Friday after abstaining for over a week in protest against his
brother Bharat’s arrest, said that Pandya should not have resigned and
embarrassed ‘the Keshubhai Patel Government, and "if had done so, he
should not have withdrawn it." He described Pandya’s resignation as
a hasty step.
Solanki referred to Pandya’s
claim that he had resigned against criminalisation of politics, and
stated that "I am also with Pandya in his crusade against anti-social
elements. But I want to know Haren’s definition of anti-socials. Are
those 81 innocent Kolis, who were en masse booked for attempt to murder
recently in Bhavnagar, also anti-socials?"
He admitted that he should
not have rushed to the police station when his brother was arrested
on June 8 and created a ruckus there, as the Chief Minister had said
on Wednesday. But Solanki argued, "when my own brother was arrested
by the police, my first reaction would be to go to him and not to the
Chief Minister. It was an emotional reaction."
Asked on what ground would
he support Pandya’s "fight against anti-socials" when there were criminal
cases pending against him in Mumbai, Solanki said, "all those cases
are cooked up. And there are only nine such cases pending against me."
Meanwhile, Solanki asserted
that violent incidents among cable operators could not be prevented
even if laws were made to regulate the highly competitive cable business.
He was referring to the Chief Minister’s statement that laws should
be framed to regulate the cable business in view of the cut throat competition.
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