Putting up a brave front, senior Minister in Samajwadi Party Government, Shivpal Singh Yadav said the Minister, who is named in FIR in scribe’s murder case, “would not be sacked” as so far he is not been proved guilty. “There is no question of taking action against Backward Class Development Minister Ram Murti Singh Verma. He has not been pronounced guilty. Until he is proved guilty how can the Government sack a Minister,” Yadav told reporters here on Monday.
He said, “The Government cannot function on the basis of media reports. We have burnt our fingers. Everyone has seen what had happened in Badaun gangrape case. The Government even took action against Minister Ragjhuraj Pratap Singh and stripped him of ministerial post. What happened next!. Everyone was proved wrong. He was exonerated by the CBI,” Yadav said defending the Samajwadi Party Government.
The Samajwadi Party Government is facing heat over alleged involvement of Minister in the murder of Shahajahanpur-based journalist Joginder Singh. In his dying declaration to magistrate, the scribe alleged that policemen on the direction of Ram Murti Verma poured two litre petrol over him and set him on fire. After much hue and cry was raised over the incident, the Government suspended five cops allegedly involved in the incident. “FIR against Minister does not prove his involvement in crime. The matter is under probe. The Government will take action once police submits its report,” Yadav reiterated.
Answering another query about Child Development and Basic Education Kailsh Nath Chaurasia, who had intimidated the RTO, the Minister said a probe is also on in that case too. “If the Minister is found guilty action would taken against him,” he said. Yadav said the Opposition parties are perturbed over the popularity of Akhilesh Yadav Government. Therefore, BJP and Congress are trying to create a mountain out of mole hill.