New Delhi, Jan 9 (UNI) The Congress on Friday accused the union Home Ministry of bypassing standard tendering and transparency norms to allegedly favour a select group of firms in the procurement of tableaux for the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat, raising serious questions of propriety and conflict of interest.
Addressing a press conference at the All India Congress Committee headquarters, senior Congress leader and Gujarat MP Shaktisinh Gohil alleged that the Home Ministry arbitrarily restricted the contract for providing tableaux for the ‘Ekta Parade’ to just five firms, without following an open tendering process. He also questioned the appointment of Pankaj Modi, brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as an “expert” authorised to finalise the tableaux.
“The Home Ministry issued a circular stating that tableaux would be procured only from five selected firms, citing paucity of time. This claim is completely untenable,” Gohil said. “Preparations for the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel were underway for more than a year. Dispensing with tendering was a deliberate decision to favour chosen entities.”
Gohil further alleged that two of the five firms were owned by a husband and wife, and claimed that most of the firms had common links, suggesting a lack of competition and transparency in the selection process.
On the resposibility given to Pankaj Modi, the Congress leader said the Home Ministry appointed him as an expert to finalise the tableaux, paying him a daily remuneration of Rs 10,000. “Why was a single individual given such sweeping authority, and on what basis was he selected?” Gohil asked.
Detailing Pankaj Modi’s career trajectory, Gohil alleged multiple violations of service rules during his tenure in the Gujarat Information Department. He claimed that Pankaj Modi was initially appointed as a Class-III employee but rose to the rank of Class-I officer, while none of his batchmates reached a similar level.
“Service rules were allegedly flouted at every stage,” Gohil said, alleging that Pankaj Modi was promoted to higher scales in 2003 and 2008 without completing the mandatory eight-year tenure required for elevation, and again promoted in 2014 from Grade-II to Grade-I in violation of norms.
According to Gohil, after reaching the age of superannuation in 2016, Pankaj Modi was re-appointed to the same post for an indefinite period, contrary to service rules that permit re-appointment of retired officials for a maximum of six months and prohibit re-appointment to the same post. “He vacated the post only after affected officials threatened to move court,” Gohil alleged.
The Congress leader further claimed that even after relinquishing the post, Pankaj Modi was accommodated by the Home Ministry as a tableaux expert on a daily remuneration basis.
Clarifying the party’s position, Gohil said, “The Congress does not believe in dragging family members of political opponents into controversies. But when there are clear violations of rules and misuse of authority, raising these issues becomes a matter of public interest.”
