Gujarat Minister asked to quit for calling CM a `liar'

By Our Special Correspondent

GANDHINAGAR, DEC. 20. The Gujarat Narmada Affairs and Major Irrigation Minister, Mr. Jaynarayan Vyas, has resigned from the State Cabinet, following a demand by the Chief Minister, Mr. Keshubhai Patel.

Mr. Patel said he had asked Mr. Vyas to tender his resignation because the Minister had called him a ``liar'' in the informal meeting of the Cabinet today. ``This amounted to a lack of confidence in me and the Cabinet cannot function without a sense of confidence in each other.''

When asked, Mr. Vyas said he had received a written note from Mr. Patel asking him to resign and he complied with it. He would not make his resignation a political issue or encourage group rivalry within the party. ``It is the prerogative of the Chief Minister to select his Cabinet colleagues, if he does not have confidence in me any more, it is his privilege to ask me to quit,'' he said. The Minister had used the expression - `liar' - ``at the heat of the moment'' and did not intend to abuse Mr. Patel. He had apologised immediately and thought ``the trivial matter was over.''

Though Mr. Patel and Mr. Vyas declined to give the details of the arguments in the meeting, it was learnt that Mr. Vyas had objected to the Government's decision to lower the water rates for industrial houses without his knowledge. On being told by Mr. Patel that he had not attended the meeting in which the issue was taken up, Mr. Vyas called him a `liar' claiming he was never informed about the meeting.

Some other Cabinet colleagues present at the meeting, denied that Mr. Vyas had apologised to the Chief Minister. ``No one present heard him saying sorry,'' a Minister claimed.

Mr. Patel told mediapersons that he had informed the Governor, Mr. Sunder Singh Bhandari, to accept the resignation immediately.

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