``Since specific allegations have been made on the floor of the House against Gholap, we feel that in the larger interest of the alliance government, he should resign until the CID inquiry is complete,'' the minister told The Indian Express on Friday.

A section of the BJP as well as the Shiv Sena Cabinet members observed that ``enough damage'' had been done to the alliance government and therefore, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi should sack Gholap from the Cabinet as soon as the ongoing winter session of the State Legislature ended.

``If it is not possible to dismiss him from the Cabinet, then he should be relieved of all the departments and should be made a minister without a portfolio,'' a senior Shiv Sena ministersaid.

The ministers said that when anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare levelled charges of corruption against Gholap, the entire alliance was with him ``for the simple reason that the charges were vague.''

``Hazare had levelled similar charges against the then Irrigation Minister Mahadev Shivankar and the then agriculture minister Shashikant Sutar. Following a probe under the Commission of Inquiry Act, it was established that there was no substance in the charges levelled against the two ministers,'' the Sena minister pointed out.

Subsequently, Gholap had filed a defamation case against Hazare. The court had upheld Gholap's contention and awarded simple imprisonment of one month to the veteran social worker. ``The case was completely different since Hazare had not made any specific charge against Gholap,'' the Sena minister added.

However, in the present case, specific allegations of kickbacks have been levelled against Gholap by one of the accused in the scandal, the minister said.

``The statementof one of the accused is very clear. He has specifically submitted that he has paid huge amounts not only to Gholap, but also to the senior officials of the State-run Mahatma Phuley Corporation for Backward Classes and Annabhau Sathe Corporation.''.

Secondly, the minister pointed out, one of Gholap's personal assistants has already been arrested for his alleged involvement in the scandal and for accepting kickbacks.

Under the circumstances, it was for Chief Minister Manohar Joshi to take ``stringent action'' against Gholap, the minister felt. ``We feel that at a juncture when the image of the government has already been damaged, it will be better for the alliance government if Joshi asks him to resign from the cabinet.''.

For the crisis-ridden opposition, Gholap's alleged involvement in the scam was ``a tool'' to blast the alliance government with, the BJP minister said.

Endorsing the ministers' views, senior bureaucrats said the entire case, particularly the charges of corruption against Gholap,should be entrusted to the Lokayukta so that the inquiry could be completed in a time-bound period.