Attempted murder, waging war on the state, criminal intimidation and fraud are some of the charges alleged against ministers whom Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed to his Cabinet on Sunday, jarring with his pledge to clean up politics.
Seven of 21 new ministers face prosecution, taking the total in the 66-member Cabinet to almost one-third, a higher proportion than before the weekend expansion.
At least five people in the Cabinet have been charged with serious offenses, such as rape and rioting.
Indian Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley said any suggestions there were criminals in the Cabinet were “completely baseless.”
“These are cases arising out of criminal accusations, not cases out of a crime,” he told reporters on Monday, adding that Modi had personally vetted the new ministers.
Ram Shankar Katheria, a legislator from Agra, was appointed junior education minister, despite being accused of more than 20 criminal offenses, including attempted murder and promoting religious or racial hostility.
Katheria was not immediately available for comment.
The inclusion of such politicians does not sit easily with Modi’s election promise to root out corruption and has led to criticism that he is failing to change the political culture in India, where wealthy, tainted politicians sometimes find it easier to win votes.
“It shows scant respect for the rule of law or public sentiment,” said Jagdeep Chhokar, cofounder of the Association for Democratic Reforms, which campaigns for better governance. “Including these people in the Cabinet is a bad omen for our democracy.”
Modi won the biggest parliamentary majority in three decades in May with a promise of graft-free governance after the previous government, led by the Congress Party, was mired in a series of damaging corruption scandals.
Soon after coming to power, Modi called for courts to fast-track cases against politicians in an effort to curb political criminality in the world’s largest democracy. Cases in India’s overstretched judicial system often drag on for years.
Yet Modi’s Cabinet includes twice as many politicians facing criminal charges as the previous Congress Party one.
Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, the new junior chemicals and fertilizer minister, was another eye-catching choice. He is charged with about 20 offenses, including intent to wage war against India, criminal intimidation and abetting a mutiny.
Ahir did not respond to requests for comment and it was not immediately clear what incidents the more serious charges pertained to. His secretary said the cases were politically motivated.
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