Conspiracies don't scare me UP minister Ashish Patel on alleged irregularities in his dept

Lucknow, Dec 18 (PTI) Facing allegations of irregularities in the promotion of lecturers in his technical education department, Uttar Pradesh minister Ashish Patel on Wednesday said that conspiracies don't scare him and accused junior information department officers of defaming ministers.
    His reaction came two days after Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader and SP MLA Pallavi Patel sat on dharna on the assembly premises demanding a probe against the alleged irregularities. On Tuesday, she claimed that she was not allowed to raise the matter in the Assembly.
    In a Facebook post in Hindi on Wednesday, the minister, an Apna Dal (S) leader, said, "Keep weaving webs of conspiracies, I am not one to get scared."
    Referring to the dharna on the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises, Ashish Patel asked, "Who were those present late at night in the most secured premises of the state, the Vidhan Sabha, after the proceedings of the House were over? Which police officer ignored all rules and allowed them to enter the Vidhan Sabha premises?"
    Levelling allegations against the state information department, the minister said, "The work of the state's information department, which has a budget of Rs 1,700 crore, is to convey to the general public information about the policies and programmes of the governments led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath."
    "However, junior officers of the department are busy in defamation and character assassination of ministers of their government. Is it their job to encourage false allegations on ministers and get news published against them by creating confusion and providing incomplete facts," he asked.
    Referring to the incident of BJP MLA Yogesh Verma being slapped by a lawyer in Lakhimpur in October, Ashish Patel said, "Conspirators should understand that I am not MLA Yogesh Verma, who remained silent due to some compulsion despite being slapped and insulted. I am a descendant of Sardar Patel. It is in my nature to fight, not to fear."
    "No matter how many conspiracies are hatched, how many attempts are made to defame me, Apna Dal (S) will keep raising issues of social justice. Whatever the cost, the voice of social justice will not be silenced. Whether it is the case of irregularities in the recruitment of 69,000 teachers or other such cases. Our party has put forth its point with full force and will put forth its point with the same strength in the future too," the minister said.
    He ended the post by saying, "Some people are maintaining silence thinking they will speak the truth when its price increases a little."
    Pallavi Patel, who sat on a dharna in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue on the Vidhan Sabha premises till late Monday night, is the elder sister of Union minister Anupriya Patel, who is married to Ashish Patel.
    It has been alleged that instead of direct recruitment of department heads in government polytechnic colleges under the technical education department, lecturers working in colleges have been promoted and made department heads.
    It has also been alleged that if the posts were filled through direct recruitment, candidates from backward and Dalit communities would have benefited from reservation.
    Minister Ashish Patel had earlier alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to politically "murder" him.
    He had also said that he would resign without delay if he received orders from Prime Minister Modi.
    Apna Dal (S) is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)