Guj governor seeks details of expenses on Narendra Modi's fast

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal has sought details of expenditure incurred on Narendra Modi's three-day 'Sadbhavna' fast, intensifying the faceoff with the chief minister who has demanded her recall.

Beniwal, who has been locked in a row with the state government over the appointment of Lokayukta, dashed off a letter based on a representation received from Mahagujarat Janta Party (MJP) chief Gordhan Zadafia.

Details of the expenses and procedures followed for its sanction were sought from the state government by the governor, sources in the governor's office said today.

Zadafia, a former state minister in the Modi government who parted ways with the BJP and floated his own party MJP, alleged there was misappropriation of public funds by the government to meet the expenditure incurred for the fast.

The governor wrote a letter through her principal secretary Arvind Joshi to the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), General Administration Department, on September 22 asking him to respond to the allegation made by Zadafia, the sources said.

In the letter, the ACS has also been asked to give details of the process followed while sanctioning the expenditure, they said.

Modi had sat on a fast from September 17-19 at the Gujarat University Convention Centre here for "peace, unity and harmony in the state".

Zadafia himself has embarked on a 51-hour 'Samvedana' fast since yesterday at Gandhinagar.

According to Zadafia, he was fasting to press for the demand to hand over probe into allegations of massive corruption by the Modi government to the Lokayukta.

He also demanded probe into the alleged misappropriation of public funds to by the Modi government.

Modi yesterday accused the Congress of conspiring to dislodge his government through Raj Bhavan and demanded the Governor's recall.

Modi had earlier too demanded the governor's recall in the wake of the spat over the appointment of the state Lokayukta. In an unprecedented move, the governor has appointed Retd Justice R A Mehta as Lokayukta of the state, bypassing the state government.