Gujarat Congress leader Paresh Dhanani withdraws fast after Vajpayee's death
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Congress leader Paresh Dhanani withdrew his three-day fast, launched today to demand a judicial probe into the alleged groundnut scam, following the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He began his fast in the morning outside the Sabarmati Ashram here.
Announcing the withdrawal of the fast, Dhanani told the media the protest will resume after the completion of seven-day mourning announced by the Centre following Vajpayee's demise in the AIIMS hospital at New Delhi this evening.
The Leader of Opposition in the state assembly expressed grief over the death of the BJP stalwart.
"We are deeply saddened by the demise of Vajpayeeji. In this moment of grief, the Congress party has decided to call off the three-day fast against the groundnut scam. We will seek answers from the ruling BJP on this issue afterwards," Dhanani said.
"The party leadership has decided to resume the protest (fast) after the completion of the mourning period," he added.
Dhanani began his three-day fast to press for his party's demand for a judicial probe into the alleged groundnut procurement scam in the state.
Before sitting on the fast, the Congress legislator visited the Sabarmati Ashram here to "seek the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi".
The opposition party leader alleged a scam was worth Rs 4,000 crore in state-wide procurement of groundnuts and said the BJP government should order a judicial probe into it to bring out the truth.
"I am beginning my fast after taking Gandhiji's blessings. My fast is aimed at bringing out the truth in the Rs 4,000-crore groundnut procurement scam. The Congress wants a judicial probe into the scam," he told reporters outside the ashram in the morning.
The Congress has been claiming the ruling BJP is trying to save "real culprits" behind alleged irregularities in procurement of groundnut from farmers by not accepting its demand for an inquiry under a sitting High Court judge.
The issue came to the fore two weeks ago when around 30,000 sacks of groundnuts (each weighing 35 kg) were found mixed with sand and stones.
The stock was procured by the National Agriculture Co- operative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), a central agency, thorough the Gujarat State Co-Operative Cotton Federation Ltd (GUJCOT) and stored at a godown at Pedhla town in Jetpur taluka of Rajkot district.
The opposition Congress has alleged large-scale corruption in procurement of groundnuts in the state.
Till date, 27 people, including officials of NAFED and GUJCOT, have been arrested by the Rajkot Police in connection with the alleged adulteration of the groundnut stock at Pedhla town.