BJP man keeps job despite Naroda taint

The Ahmedabad police may have arrested local BJP leader Kishan Korani, a member of the board of directors of the Gujarat Minorities Finance ...

The Ahmedabad police may have arrested local BJP leader Kishan Korani, a member of the board of directors of the Gujarat Minorities Finance and Development Corporation (GMFDC), in connection with the Naroda-Patiya massacre, but the Gujarat government has no intention of removing him from his post.

‘‘There is no question of removing Korani from the corporation or seeking his resignation till the charges against him are conclusively proved in the court of law,’’ MoS for the Welfare of Socially and Economically Backward Classes Karsan Patel said. The GMFDC is mandated to work for the upliftment of minorities, and it falls under Patel’s ministry.

Korani was arrested by the Crime Branch from his residence in Naroda-Patiya and remanded to police custody for 10 days. He was named in FIR registered after the massacre in which 86 persons were killed during the VHP-sponsored Gujarat bandh on February 28.

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Patel said he had discussed the issue with senior BJP leaders, including party chief Rajendrasinh Rana, and ‘‘they too agree that Korani cannot be removed from the directorship of the GMFDC until he is convicted’’.

Forget
the past: Gill to Muslims

AHMEDABAD: K P S Gill,
security advisor to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, today urged the Muslim
community to forget the past and strive to build an peaceful society. Gill
said at a function organised by Chhipe Jamat Charitable Trust here, ‘‘We
need to build a new society without any communal bias.’’ The people of Gujarat
wanted peace which was being undermined by anti-social elements, he added.
—PTI

Nor will Korani be asked to resign on moral grounds. ‘‘Even Mayaben Kodnani’s (BJP MLA) name figures in an FIR. Does it mean she also should resign from membership of the Assembly? Congress MLA from Dangs Madhu Bhoye recently accused me of threatening him, and he had also complained to the Governor. Should I also quit?,’’ Patel said.

While Rana was unavailable for comment, State BJP general secretary Nalin Bhatt said he was not aware of Korani’s arrest or the fact that he was one of the directors of the GMFDC.

GMFDC chairman Gani Qureshi, who is also the convenor of the state BJP’s minority cell, said since Korani was appointed on the party leadership’s recommendation, only the party could decide whether he should be removed. However, Kirit Makwana, another director who is a practising advocate, said the party could always ask Korani to resign in view of the fact that he is an accused in a heinous crime. By doing so, the party would send ‘‘positive signals’’, said Makwana.

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Sources in the GMFDC said Korani was appointed three years ago as a representative of the Sindhi community. He was also made a member of the GMFDC’s four-member implementation committee, which usually has only members of religious minorities. This committee takes key decisions such as the sanctioning of loans and purchases, the sources said.

An corporation official said Korani had not attended the last two quarterly meetings of the GMFDC, and if he failed to turn up at the next meeting, due some time next month, he would automatically stand disqualified as a director.

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