Gujarat BJP minister kept out of PM Modi’s events, noose tightens after sons’ arrest

“After the arrests (of Khabad’s sons), there was no way Modi would have taken kindly to his presence on stage. It is only natural that he had to stay away. Although he protested, it was the party’s as well as the government’s decision,” a BJP state executive member, who attended the Dahod event, said.

With the pressure mounting for his ouster, Khabad also gave Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting a miss.

Khabad’s sons Balvantsinh and Kiran were arrested on May 17 and 19 respectively over their alleged involvement in a Rs 71 crore MGNREGS scam, pertaining to irregularities in payments for incomplete projects under the scheme. In two villages in Devgadh Baria taluka and one in Dhanpur taluka, several metres of road construction were allegedly left incomplete, but payments were still made to “unauthorised agencies” using forged completion certificates, between April 2021 and December 2024.

Khabad posted two videos last week defending his sons and claiming that they had “done no wrong”, and denied any plans to step down. Instead, he cited the “transparent” works undertaken by the departments he helmed.

The leader said Khabad should have waited to see the party’s reaction, “at least till the probe was completed”. “His statement on preparing for Modi’s visit and social media posts on inspecting the venues was unwarranted,” the leader said.

Last week, after skipping the Cabinet meeting, Khabad said he had sent a “report of absence” to CM Patel explaining that he was “busy arranging numbers” for the PM’s visit to Dahod.

BJP leaders said that his exclusion from Modi’s events was a clear signal of what lies ahead for
Khabad, though he has reportedly turned down advice to step down. “Now, it is likely that a Cabinet reshuffle will take place where Khabad and a couple of ministers, who have embarrassed the party, will be shown the door. Khabad will also be asked to quit as the district in-charge of Mahisagar,” a party leader said.

Another leader said Khabad’s stubbornness has also resulted in friction between party heavyweights like Dindor and the Bhabhor brothers – Lok Sabha MP Jaswantsinh Bhabhor and Limkheda MLA Shailesh Bhabhor – who were seen interacting with the PM during his Gujarat events.

Admitting that the buzz about an alleged scam had been around for months, with the Congress also raising it on the floor of the Assembly, a BJP leader said the real jolt for the party was the arrest of Khabad’s sons.

“Balvantsinh and Kiran filing anticipatory bail applications even when they were not directly named in the FIR further embarrassed the government… The alleged irregularities came to light during a central inspection of the Rural Development Authority of MGNREGA projects following which more villages from the region have come forward to make similar claims. The damage could have been contained if the duo had not taken impulsive actions,” a BJP leader said.

Khabad has seemingly been stung more by the arrest of his younger son Kiran, who he was reportedly grooming to be his political heir. “Kiran cannot be seen in isolation as he manages his father’s affairs in his constituency. Only if the probe exonerates the sons, will Khabad have a substantial ground to defend himself,” a local BJP leader said.

The Gujarat Congress termed the “sidelining” of Khabad as an “eyewash” by the BJP. Dr Manish Doshi, GPCC Spokesperson, told The Indian Express, “Sidelining Khabad from two events is a face-saving exercise by the BJP… Whenever someone is caught in the middle of party-backed corruption, they indulge in a hogwash by sidelining the person concerned for a brief period. The BJP has an absolute majority. What is stopping them from demanding Khabad’s resignation or removing him from the Cabinet? If they are indeed embarrassed, they should have him resign.”