The party alleges that the Union Home Ministry bypassing established tendering norms and transparency while awarding tableaux contracts
NEW DELHI — The Congress has questioned the role of Pankaj Modi, brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he was improperly authorised to finalise tableaux during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat. The party also levelled serious allegations against the Union Home Ministry, accusing it of bypassing established tendering norms and transparency while awarding contracts for the tableaux.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here on Friday, senior Congress leader and Gujarat MP Shaktisinh Gohil said the Home Ministry issued a circular stating that tableaux for the proposed ‘Ekta Parade’ would be procured only from five selected firms, with the tendering process waived on the grounds of “paucity of time”.
Gohil rejected this justification, arguing that preparations for Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary had been underway for over a year. “The claim that there was no time is untenable. This decision appears to have been taken deliberately to favour a select few firms,” he alleged.
He further claimed that two of the five firms were owned by a husband and wife, while others had common links, raising questions about cartelisation and conflict of interest.
Central to the Congress’s allegations is the role assigned to Pankaj Modi. Gohil alleged that the Home Ministry appointed him as an “expert” to finalise the tableaux, paying him a daily remuneration of Rs 10,000. “Why was the prime minister’s brother chosen for this role, and under what authority?” Gohil asked.
The Congress leader also flagged what he described as irregularities in Pankaj Modi’s service career in the Gujarat Information Department. According to Gohil, Pankaj Modi was initially appointed as a Class-III employee but later rose to the rank of Class-I officer, while none of his batchmates — including those from reserved categories — reached a similar level.
He alleged repeated violations of service rules, claiming that Pankaj Modi was promoted to the upper scale in Class-III in 2003 and to Class-II in 2008, despite rules mandating a minimum eight-year tenure before promotion. Similar violations were alleged in 2014, when he was promoted from Grade-II to Grade-I without completing the required service period.
Gohil further claimed that after attaining the age of superannuation in 2016, Pankaj Modi was re-appointed to the same post for an indefinite period, in violation of rules that allow reappointment of retired officials only for a maximum of six months and bar reappointment to the same position. He alleged that Pankaj Modi vacated the post only after affected officials threatened legal action.
“After relinquishing that position, he was again accommodated — this time by the Union Home Ministry — as a tableaux expert on a daily honorarium,” Gohil said.
Stating that the Congress does not believe in targeting family members of political opponents, Gohil said the issue was raised in public interest as it involved alleged violations of rules and procedures and the use of public funds.
The allegations come ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s proposed visit to Gujarat. Gohil said the Congress would demand answers from the prime minister on why standard tendering procedures were not followed and why his brother was given such a role. Drawing a parallel with the BJP’s protests during the UPA era over the spectrum issue, Gohil said, “When they were in the Opposition, they paralysed Parliament over allegations that were later found baseless. Why are questions unacceptable now when they are in power?”
The Congress has demanded greater transparency and has called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter, asserting that if there was nothing to hide, an investigation would clear all doubts.
