New Delhi, January 9
The Congress on Thursday accused the Union Home Ministry of bypassing standard tendering and transparent procedures while allotting contracts for providing tableaux during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat. The party also asked why and how a single individual, Pankaj Modi, brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was authorised to finalise the tableaux.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here, senior Congress leader and MP from Gujarat Shaktisinh Gohil said that to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, the Union Home Ministry issued a circular stating that tableaux for the ‘Ekta Parade’ would be procured only from five selected firms. He said the tendering process was dispensed with citing paucity of time.
Gohil said the claim of lack of time was untenable as preparations for the 150th birth anniversary celebrations had been underway for more than a year. He alleged the decision was taken deliberately to favour the selected firms. He claimed that two of the five firms were owned by a husband and wife, and that most of the firms had common links.
Gohil alleged that the Home Ministry appointed Pankaj Modi as an expert to finalise the tableaux on a daily remuneration of Rs 10,000. Giving details of Pankaj Modi’s career progression, Gohil said he was appointed as a Class-III employee in the Gujarat Information Department and later rose to the rank of Class-I officer, while none of his batchmates, including those from reserved categories, reached that level. He alleged that service rules were violated at various stages of promotion. Pankaj Modi was promoted to upper scale in Class-III in 2003 and to Class-II in 2008, despite rules requiring a minimum of eight years at a post before elevation.
Gohil said rules were again violated when he was promoted from Grade-II to Grade-I in 2014 without completing the mandatory eight-year tenure. The Congress leader said that after reaching the age of superannuation in 2016, Pankaj Modi got retired but was re-appointed on the same post for an indefinite period. He vacated the post only after affected officials threatened to move court, Gohil alleged. He said service rules permit a retired official to be re-appointed for a maximum of six months and prohibit re-appointment on the same post after retirement.
Gohil alleged that after relinquishing the post, Pankaj Modi was again accommodated by the Home Ministry as a tableaux expert on a daily remuneration of Rs 10,000. He clarified that the Congress does not believe in dragging family members of political opponents into controversies, but said the issue was raised in public interest as it involved violations of rules.
