A little over a year since Jitin Prasada decided to jump ship from the Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Uttar Pradesh public works department minister has found himself ensnared by a string of allegations about irregularities in his ministry, according to a report by The Indian Express.
Prasada was made a member of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet soon after he switched over to the the BJP.
On Tuesday, a day after Anil Kumar Pandey, Prasada’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), was removed over allegations of transfers in PWD in exchange for money, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suspended five officials including the PWD head of department for their alleged involvement in the matter.
A total of five officials, including the Public Works Department (PWD) Head and Chief Engineer Manoj Gupta, have been suspended due to transfer irregularities in the PWD department after action was taken against Anil Kumar Pandey on July 18.
Pandey has worked with Jitin Prasada in the past while he was a Union minister in UPA government and was brought to Lucknow on deputation.
Two more officers of the department are also alleged to be involved in the wrongdoings in transfers in the department.
On Tuesday, Adityanath ordered the suspension of five officials – including the PWD head of department – for their alleged involvement in the transfers for money.
Prasada is said to have met Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday and is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah as well today.
The Yogi 2.0 government was earlier hit by embarrassment when the deputy CM Brajesh Pathak had himself raised questions in transfers in his Department of Health and Medical Education.
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