Written by: Express News Service
2 min readNew DelhiFeb 10, 2011 09:30 AM IST
First published on: Feb 10, 2011 at 09:30 AM IST
A Rajasthan minister looks all set to lose his job for making disparaging remarks about President Pratibha Patil. He had made controversial remarks about Patils loyalty to the Nehru-Gandhi family and how she had been rewarded with the office of the President in return.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have taken a strong exception to Rajasthan Minister of State for Panchayati Raj and Wakf Amin Khans comments that amounted to lowering the dignity of the office of the President.
Sonia is learnt to have instructed Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot,who met senior party leaders in New Delhi on Wednesday,to remove the minister.
Addressing a gathering of Congress workers in Manpura village in Pali district on Tuesday evening,Khan had said that President Patil cooked food and cleaned utensils in former PM Indira Gandhis house just after the Emergency. The President,Pratibha Patil,would cook food and clean utensils in Indira Gandhis house in 1977 and she never asked for anything in return. So she was finally rewarded by the Congress by being made the President, he had said.
When contacted on Wednesday,Khan said he was referring to only serving the Congress party. I meant no disrespect to anybody. Pratibha Patilji was a dedicated Congress worker, he told The Indian Express. I only meant to say that they stayed in the same house so she would also cook at times. It was only an example of what being loyal and dedicated to the party could bring. He added that Patil was rewarded with the Presidents post for her dedication.
According to Khan,he made the reference in reply to disgruntled Congress workers. The workers were complaining that even after two years of rule in Rajasthan,authorities were not listening to them. Since I was the chief guest at the function,I wanted to advice them about being loyal to the party, he said.
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