Wankaner bogus toll plazas: Patidar leaders demand Jeram’s resignation

“Amarshi Patel has been named the main accused in the case. So, we demand that if (the son of the) president of such a big community organisation (allegedly) gets involved in something like this, then until the judicial process gets over, he (Jeram) should resign on moral grounds,” Panara told The Indian Express. The resignation was necessary to preempt any possibility of him influencing the police investigation in the case, he said.

He added that the alleged involvement of Jeram’s son damages the image of the Patidar community and a resignation on moral grounds “would be a lesson for the people”.

Calling Jeram “selfish”, Panara said, “After the FIR against his son, he (Jeram) went to meet the Morbi Superintendent of Police. Why don’t you make any recommendations when laymen from the community face false cases? It means you are misusing your post as a community leader. Jaysukhbhai Patel (an accused in the Morbi bridge collapse case) has been in jail for the past 12 months, but you (Jeram) never went to meet him. We do not want a selfish leader.”

On his part, Jeram told The Indian Express that if the board of trustees demands for his resignation, then he would tender the same. “There are 2-4 per cent negative people in the community. So, everyone talks accordingly. Resignation is a matter under the jurisdiction of the board of trustees. It does not happen that somebody demands a resignation and it is tendered,” he said.

Earlier, Jeram had claimed that his family had leased the factory on the premises of which the bogus toll plaza was set up to a private entity and his son had no role in the factory.