A Congress delegation led by senior MLA Amit Chavda met Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat to raise serious concerns over alleged corruption within the state government. Chavda accused the BJP administration of shielding ministers and council officials implicated in financial misconduct.
Chavda levelled specific allegations against Minister of State for Agriculture and Panchayats, Bachubhai Khabad, stating that his sons, Balvant and Kiran Khabad, were arrested in connection with a Rs 71 crore MGNREGA scam.&nbsp;
The fraud reportedly occurred in Devgadh Baria and Dhanpur talukas of Dahod district between April 2021 and December 2024. Investigations revealed that forged documents and geotagged images were used to process payments for incomplete or non-existent work. The firms operated by the Khabad brothers&mdash;Shri Raj Construction and Shri Raj Traders&mdash;received payments totalling over Rs 30 crore without official vendor status.
Chavda told reporters, &ldquo;Why has [Bachubhai] Khabad not been removed from his ministerial position? Why is the BJP government protecting him?&rdquo;&nbsp;
He further demanded the Governor dismiss the minister and initiate a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into MGNREGA and Nal Se Jal Yojana projects implemented over the past two years.
He added, &ldquo;The BJP government and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel are shielding the accused instead of ensuring justice. We are calling for an independent probe and strict action against all individuals involved, regardless of political affiliation.&rdquo;
Separately, Chavda reacted to recent CBI raids on the residence and office of Montu Patel, President of the Pharmacy Council of India, as part of an alleged multi-crore bribery scandal involving fake approvals for pharmacy colleges.&nbsp;
Patel, who lives in the Ghatlodia area of Ahmedabad&mdash;Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel&rsquo;s home constituency&mdash;has been accused of being closely linked to senior BJP leaders. &ldquo;The scam involves Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore. The government must investigate Montu Patel&rsquo;s political connections and take strict action,&rdquo; Chavda said.
He further noted that the Pharmacy Council chief&rsquo;s residence also falls under the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, stating, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s possible that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also aware of him.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Chavda demanded public statements from the Chief Minister and Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi, on the matter.
Adding to the controversy, Congress spokesperson Dr Manish Doshi has alleged large-scale corruption within the Pharmacy Council itself, citing the CBI raids as evidence. Doshi claimed that Montu Patel, the Council Chairman, had direct links with the BJP and accused the state government of running a &ldquo;racket of loot&rdquo; through various regulatory bodies.
&ldquo;All councils are extorting money in the name of granting approvals to colleges, and there are different rates for different kinds of approvals,&rdquo; Doshi alleged. He questioned the government&rsquo;s silence on irregularities within the State Pharmacy Council and claimed that numerous medical stores in Gujarat are operating on fake licences.
He also criticised the skewed nature of pharmacy education in the state. &ldquo;There are 84 pharmacy colleges in Gujarat, of which only 3 are government-run. The government has only granted approval to private colleges,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
Doshi alleged that private college operators are receiving large financial packages under the guise of fees and that this corruption is carried out with the knowledge of senior officials in Delhi.
&ldquo;This entire corruption was exposed due to infighting within the BJP. There was a dispute over the sharing of benefits between the Union Minister and the Chairman of the Pharmacy Council, which led to the scam coming to light,&rdquo; he said.
Dr Doshi demanded a full investigation into the approval processes for pharmacy colleges in Gujarat and the scale of malpractice in the sector, stating, &ldquo;A probe must be conducted into the irregularities in the granting of recognition to several colleges and the extent of malpractices in Gujarat.&rdquo;
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Congress delegation meets Gujarat Governor

Congress alleges BJP shielding ministers, demands probe into MGNREGA and Pharmacy Council scams.

Congress Flags Gujarat Scams, Seeks SIT Probe

Congress alleges BJP shielding ministers, demands probe into MGNREGA and Pharmacy Council scams.

July 4, 2025 | 20:19 IST