UP Governor: Why is Gayatri Prajapati still a minister?

Lucknow: In a major development that is bound to cause much embarrassment to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik sent a letter to Mr Yadav demanding to know why rape-accused minister Gayatri Prajapati continued to remain in the ministry.

Raj Bhavan sources claimed the letter said: “A non-bailable warrant has been issued against Prajapati after an FIR was registered against him in a rape case. Serious questions of constitutional morality and dignity arise on his remaining in the state Cabinet.” The governor sought the CM’s “justification (for) retaining the minister”.

The governor said it had come to his notice that the CM himself asked the minister to surrender, but he hadn’t done so and was absconding. “There are apprehensions he might have fled to some foreign country”, he added. “This is serious as Prajapati is a Cabinet minister.”

It may be recalled that on Saturday the rape-accused UP minister’s passport was impounded, a lookout notice issued and airports alerted. The UP police claimed it was conducting raids across the state to trace the minister.

The passport was cancelled and the lookout notice issued hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the SP-Congress alliance of chanting “Gayatri Prajapati Mantra” during the ongoing election campaign.

The police registered an FIR against Prajapati and six others for allegedly gangraping a woman and molesting her minor daughter. The FIR was filed last month on the Supreme Court’s directive.

BJP president Amit Shah raked up the issue Sunday at an election meeting in Ambedkarnagar. He said Prajapati’s arrest would be one of the first tasks if his party forms the government in UP. Mr Shah said: “As soon as the BJP forms the government in UP on March 11, we would search (Gayatri Prasad) Prajapati even from hell and send him to jail.”