Law Minister Sadananda Gowda terms Vyapam scam a 'silly issue'

Udaipur, Raj, Jul 7: In remarks which could trigger controversy, Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda today termed the Vyapam scam as a "silly issue" on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi need not comment.

"See, certain issues which are so simple issues, so silly issues that need not be answered by the Prime Minister. Our Home Minister (Rajnath Singh), ministers of concerned departments and even my party (BJP) president Amit Shah have answered everything. For each and every silly issue Prime Minister has to answer. It is not fair," he said.

Gowda said if there is a serious issue which is in the larger interest of the country, then the Prime Minister should be "requested" to give an answer.

"This is a very simple issue," he said.

He was responding to a question on the demand of the opposition that Prime Minister Modi should speak out on the matter. To a query on a CBI probe into the scam, the Law Minister said law and order is a state subject.

"The state has already initiated a SIT and they are going ahead with investigation...of course a series of deaths have occurred in the last few months. It is a matter of concern. I do concede, I don't dispute that. But still it is a state subject...a suo motu CBI investigation cannot be conducted unless state government requests for CBI investigation," he said.

PTI