Pandya, Patel stick to their guns

By Manas Dasgupta

GANDHINAGAR, JUNE 14. The Keshubhai Patel Cabinet in Gujarat is facing a crisis with the Minister of State for Home, Mr. Haren Pandya, today submitting his resignation as a culmination of the week- long `cable war' involving another member of the cabinet.

Though the Chief Minister said he had not accepted Mr. Pandya's resignation, and ``will not accept it under any circumstances'', Mr. Pandya told reporters that he would insist on Mr. Patel accepting his resignation and was ``in no mood to withdraw it''.

The Deputy Labour and Employment Minister, Mr. Purshottam Solanki, who is in the eye of the storm brewing in the Patel Cabinet, has not resigned. However, he did not attend the Cabinet meeting earlier in the day as a protest against the arrest of his brother in a ``false case'' involving two cable television companies.

Mr. Solanki had rushed to the Ellisbridge police station in Ahmedabad and created a scene in full public view as soon as he learnt about the arrest of his brother, Mr. Bharat Solanki, on Friday, on charges of attempted murder and rioting under the Arms Act and also for violating the Prohibition Act.

A Mumbai-based cable TV owner, Mr. Bharat Solanki had reportedly gone to the office of the rival cable television network in Paldi area and threatened its operator with dire consequences if he did not cross over to his company. Mr. Solanki, known for his underworld connections in Mumbai before he had shifted to Gujarat five years ago, had earlier claimed that police acted against Mr. Bharat and implicated him with serious charges only ``at the behest of Mr Pandya''.

He, however, changed his stand on Tuesday saying he had nothing against Mr. Pandya but had given the Government a month's time to straighten out matters involving his community members, the Kolis. Mr. Solanki had accused the police of singling out the Kolis for harassment and claimed that as many as 81 attempted murder cases had been filed by police against the community in the last fortnight in Bhavnagar alone, his hometown.

Apparently, a finger was being pointed at Mr. Pandya.

The Chief Minister, while admitting that Mr. Pandya's resignation was connected with the cable war, denied that it had caused any ``crisis''. He, however, agreed that the cable episode had tarnished the image of the party. He also censured the action of Mr. Solanki in rushing to the police station and said it would had been better if he had come to him.

But he said he had no intention of seeking Mr. Solanki's resignation nor any plan to drop him from the Cabinet. He was equally confident that Mr. Pandya too would be back in his place soon.

Mr. Pandya, however, was unrelenting and maintained that he would ``force'' Mr. Patel to accept his resignation.

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