Shabnam Hashmi quits govt panels alleging Congress 'connivance' to ensure Narendra Modi victory in Gujarat

Social activist Shabnam Hashmi today quit five government panels, including Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), alleging Congress "connivance" to ensure Narendra Modi's victory in Gujarat Assembly elections but did not say how.

Hashmi, the founder member of NGO Anhad, resigned from membership of Maulana Azad Education Foundation, National Monitoring Committee for Minority Education (NMCME), National Literacy Mission Council (NLM) and Assessment and Monitoring Authority of Planning Commission besides CABE.

She said she was resigning from all government committees as a protest against the "betrayal" of the aspirations of the marginalised people of Gujarat to throw out the Modi regime.

"There was a strong wave against Modi. The anti-Modi wave was not reflected in the electoral verdict. No way Modi could have won. There was subversion and manipulation. Some part of it was done by the party leading the UPA," she told PTI, referring to Congress.

She, however, did not explain how Congress had helped in Modi's victory, saying she does not "know how it happened". She said an independent investigation should be held into the Gujarat election verdict to especially look at the presence of foreign diplomats and journalists in the state just before the polls on December 13 and 17.

In a statement, she said she felt "deeply disturbed at the betrayal" of the hard work and faith of thousands of activists who worked in Gujarat against the regime of Modi and also crores of Gujaratis who voted against him in the Assembly election.

"There was a strong anti-Modi wave but suddenly everything changed between December 15 evening and 17th morning. To the best of my understanding and experience of working as a social-political activist for 30 years, the overnight reversal and the following victory of the regime was not possible without the connivance of the political party that leads the UPA," she alleged.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Bhullar's wife moves Supreme Court for stay on execution of death penalty

Another aide of Bansal's nephew arrested in Railways bribery scam

Hight Court quashes life sentence in murder case, gives 8 yrs to convict

Bansal, Kumar must go, says Oppn as it stalls proceedings in Parliament