Under attack by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party over a row on proposed oil refinery site in Rajasthan, State Revenue Minister Hemaram Choudhary on Thursday resigned from the State Cabinet, but Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot turned it down.
“The way politics is being done...oil refinery controversy is created and rival BJP is making allegations, I felt hurt...as if I am responsible for shifting of the refinery location. I have no role in it. Hence, I decided to keep away from the ministerial post...let refinery be set up,” Choudhary said.
Proposed acquisition
The BJP had alleged that Congress leaders would benefit from the proposed acquisition of land for refinery in Lilala. The site was later shifted Pachpurda, but the decision is said to have apparently not gone down well with some ruling party leaders.
The greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemical complex is to be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 37,229 crore in four years.
Rajasthan and the State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd signed a pact for setting up the 9 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) capacity refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in March this year.
Earlier this month, the State Government and HPCL also signed an agreement to set up a joint venture company ‘HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd’ to execute the project.
Reacting to the development, Gehlot said, “There is no question of accepting his resignation…. Disagreement over the shifting of the site from Lilala to Pachpadra is a local level issue and we will settle it. The important thing is that the State as a whole will be benefited with the setting up of the refinery in Barmer,” Gehlot said.
Elaborating on the charges by BJP, Choudhary said, “I have least interest in location related issue of refinery...I came in politics to serve people....If I had bought or sold any land in Barmer connected with refinery, I will face the consequences...I am ready to face any punishment.”
The legislator and another prominent Congress MLA Sonaram had publicly sparred over the issue of shifting the site of the refinery from Lilala to Pachpadra (both in Barmer district) at a meeting between farmers and elected representatives in the district on Wednesday. Sonaram said, “It was the farmers who had questioned the minister on shifting the location, and on their pressure, the minister announced that he would resign from the Government.”
Sonaram, who had participated in public and farmers’ agitation over shifting of the refinery location from Lilala, said, “Probably, the minister could not convince the Chief Minister to keep the refinery’s establishment at Lilala.”