Pratibha(president of india) cooked for Indira, says minister

[Sir john]

Amin Khan Pratibha Patil became President because she cooked and washed for Indira Gandhi when the Prime Minister was thrown out of power in 1977, a Congress minister in Rajasthan has suggested. Panchayati raj minister Amin Khan, who was addressing party workers in Pali district near Jodhpur yesterday, said Patil had sought nothing in return for her service to the first family. Her patience and dedication paid off when Sonia Gandhi suddenly named her the party’s choice for President in 2007, Khan said. At the time, Patil was serving as the governor of Rajasthan. Khan, who is in his seventies, claims he meant no disrespect to the President and that he had cited her example only to encourage workers who complain that their services to the party are not recognised. But this evening, chief minister Ashok Gehlot headed to Delhi where he spoke to Patil on the phone and apologised for the comments. He also met Mukul Wasnik, the general secretary in charge of Rajasthan. Late tonight, Gehlot who was still in Delhi asked the first-time minister from Barmer to resign, sources here said. Khan has in the past been accused of working against the party. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he allegedly sabotaged the Congress’s chances against Manavendra Singh, the BJP candidate and Jaswant Singh’s son, in Barmer. Earlier in the day, the BJP had seized the opportunity to mock the Congress’s “culture of subservience†and demanded the minister’s resignation. BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi said the comment about the President was “unacceptable†and the chief minister should immediately ask for Khan’s resignation. In response, Congress spokesperson Satyendra Raghav had said: “Ministers should behave and speak within limits, although till now there has been no directive from Gehlot to curtail and control the outbursts.†Raghav was talking also about another Congress minister, Bhanwar Lal Meghwal, who had shot off his mouth. Meghwal, the education minister, lashed out at critics who had unveiled a poster yesterday showing him struggling with spellings and using expletives. How can someone who misspells words and is foul-mouthed be the education minister, asked the poster drawn up by the All Rajasthan School Teachers’ Union that is being distributed in schools across the state. The teachers are unhappy with Meghwal, who they accuse of being abusive. They also charge the education minister with misusing his official position to transfer government teachers and other school staff of his choice to prize postings – mostly in the cities. Dogs will bark but elephants will keep walking, Meghwal retorted today. “Some people cannot digest the fact that wherever I go I am crowned with silver and golden crowns,†he said. link

[Sir john]

CM asks waqf minister to quit over remarks on Prez Chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday asked Rajasthan minister of state for panchayati raj and waqf Amin Khan to resign, following his remarks against President Pratibha Patil. While Khan could not be reached for comment, the chief minister's office confirmed that Gehlot asked him to resign over the phone from New Delhi. Earlier in the day, Khan apologized after protests erupted across the state. Khan in a speech to party workers that was captured by TV cameras had insinuated that Patil had curried favour with the Gandhi family by doing dishes and cooking food for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the late 1970s. After chairing a Cabinet meeting in Jaipur on Wednesday, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot rushed to New Delhi, reportedly summoned by a miffed Congress high command. Before leaving for Delhi, Gehlot called up Amin and demanded he apologize and sought an explanation. "The statement is unfortunate," said party's spokesperson Manish Tiwari in New Delhi. The President's office reacted sharply. "The veracity of the statement is being ascertained," said a spokesman. The President's secretary Christy Fernandez spoke to Rajasthan governor and CM asking them to ascertain facts and take "appropriate action if necessary." Asked for his comment, Patil's husband Devi Singh said, "We are hurt. It is for the Congress leadership to take a call (on action against him)." "It is shameful for entire women community," said BJP leader Vasundhara Raje. Shree Rajput Karni Sena staged a demonstration at the Collectorate Circle in Jaipur and demanded the minister be sacked. "We burnt effigies of Khan at 13 district headquarters, including Sikar which is the hometown of Devi Singh," said Sena's state convener Shyam Pratap Singh. There were reports of protests from Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur and other districts. "The chief minister should not only seek his resignation but expel him from Congress for making derogatory remarks against the country's constitutional head," said the Sena's chief patron and Congress leader Lokendra Singh Kalvi. Khan said he did not mean disrespect to the President. "I was just trying to advise disgruntled Congress workers to work selflessly and be faithful and committed like Patil," he said. "What gain will I derive by hurting the President?" he asked. "I am sorry. Please consider it my mistake," he told TOI. link

[Sir john]

Cong Minister in soup over remarks against prez A Rajasthan minister has found himself in a soup over his unsavoury remarks about President Pratibha Patil he made at a meeting of Congress workers here on Tuesday. Minister of state for panchayati raj and waqf Amin Khan had stated that Patil was rewarded with the country's top post because she "used to cook and wash utensils" for former prime minister Indira Gandhi after she lost the elections in 1977. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot has now been summoned to New Delhi by the Congress brass to discuss Khan's remark. Gehlot, who held a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, is expected to meet the president and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to clarify Khan's remark. The CM had earlier expressed his anguish over the derogatory remark. He also reportedly called Patil and apologised. Khan, however, clarified that he did not intend to show any disrespect to the President. He said he had only cited Patil's example as someone who is a selfless worker. "Everyone is rewarded when the time comes, I advised party workers." Predictably, Khan's "indecent" remarks drew condemnation from all parties and they demanded action against him. Late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had sacked a minister in his cabinet, KK Tiwari, who made disparaging remarks against a former president, Gyani Zail Singh, in 1988. The BJP said the remark was unfortunate and called for Khan's resignation. "This is insult to the entire country as well as women of India for which the state government of Rajasthan is responsible," BJP national general secretary Vasundhara Raje said. The former chief minister said Congress leaders routinely made derogatory remarks against women. "It had become a habit with them."

[Roshanrocks]

unbelievable :headshake:

[b555]

:asleep:

[Clarke]

What's with cooking/serving food for the Gandhis and running the country. Antonia Albina Maino served food to Rajiv at Cambridge and she's been the virtual PM for years while PP gets to be president :haha:

[ravishingravi]

This is nothing new in our country's politics Vn7KvFfDNWo