The BJP ruled Gujarat Government tabled the much talked about Justice MB Shah Commission report in the House on Friday.
The commission was set up to probe allegations of corruption against the Narendra Modi Government in the State. Tabling the 5500-page, 22-volume report, deputy CM Nitin Patel said that the Government had nothing to hide. “As we have been saying for long the report has found no credible evidence of any wrong-doing by erstwhile Narendra Modi Government as was alleged by Congress,” said Patel.
Congress had in 2011 levied series of allegations against the then Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat, preparing a docket of over 1000 pages, enlisting series of corruption in the Modi Government and submitted it as a memorandum to President of India. Subsequently Modi set up a judicial probe headed by former Supreme Court judge M B Shah to look in to 14 different issues highlighted by Congress. The Shah panel in its interim report submitted in the year 2012 gave Modi Government prima facie a clean chit. It submitted its final report submitted in the year 2013.
Congress has been demanding tabling of the report in the House since, at times disrupting the functioning of Assembly. However, ruling BJP Government in the State chose to table it on the last day of budget session. Among the key issues probed by Shah Panel include allocation of land parcels to several corporates in the State at concessional rates, including l&T, Essar, RIl and Adani Group; financial package for setting up of Nano plant by Tata Motors; use of private jets and choppers by Modi as the Chief Minister, among others. Primary glance at the report states that the State Government had merely followed the set procedures in most of the cases or there was technical error in levying allegations or representations in some other cases.