Buta to file FIR against Mahajan

NEW DELHI, April 21: Buta Singh, who was dropped from the Vajpayee ministry as Communication Minister, today said he would lodge a complaint...

NEW DELHI, April 21: Buta Singh, who was dropped from the Vajpayee ministry as Communication Minister, today said he would lodge a complaint with police against prime minister’s political adviser Pramod Mahajan for allegedly threatening him and his family members.

Singh said he would file an FIR tomorrow against Mahajan whom he accused of threatening his family members with dire consequences if he did not quit the Union Cabinet within ten minutes of Mahajan delivering Vajpayee’s letter seeking his resignation. Mahajan allegedly issued the threat when he went to Buta’s residence to deliver Vajpayee’s letter.Mahajan, however, had dismissed the allegation as absurd in a clarification last evening immediately after Singh told media persons about the threat.

Singh said he also held discussions with Bharatiya Kisan Kamagar Party (BKKP) president Ajit Singh on floating a regional party jointly.He said the new party would be launched at a convention at Jaipur within ten days.To a question whether he met anyCongress leader after his sacking, Singh said he met former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao in the court today.Meanwhile, less than 24 hours after Buta was dropped, the Government got cracking to withdraw all facilities provided him as Cabinet Minister.

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First, the government cancelled the order for a Rs 13-lakh bullet-proof Ambassador car from the Ordnance Factory in Jabalpur. Soon after Singh was sworn in, the Home Ministry had issued instructions for ordering the bullet-proof car for the minister who was in the "Z plus" category for security.

The government is also learnt to have issued an order to disconnect the STD phones that had been provided at the former communications minister’s residence to prevent "misuse by the staff". The order states that all except one line for the former minister’s own use may be disconnected.

Normally, when a minister exits office, he is given a period of 15 days to a month to return facilities offered to him. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been askedto recheck their inventory and take stock of furniture and articles that had been ordered for Buta Singh’s residence. A detailed list of his personal staff is also being prepared. According to sources, they will be reverted to the department immediately.

Some of these officials had not even received formal posting orders. Swaraj took over the charge of the ministry today, all files from Buta’s former office were sealed and transferred back to the sections which they belonged to.

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The files carry a simple note: "Since the minister has remitted office, these files have been reverted."

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