MUMBAI, May 2: Activists of the Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress Committee today gatecrashed into the Mantralaya premises demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi on the issue of alleged corruption in the Sena-BJP alliance government in Maharashtra.

Police had to resort to a mild caning to disperse the demonstrators who shouted slogans calling for dismissal of the state government, climbed the perimeter fence of the secretariat building and tried to storm inside with the intention of confronting Joshi. Twenty activists were arrested after a scuffle and later released. The activists led by Mumbai Youth Congress chief Charanjit Singh Sapra, demanded that Joshi should resign owing moral responsibility for what they termed ``corruption of cabinet colleagues.''

The activists also demanded that the Justice Dudhat Commission of inquiry, set up by the state government to probe corruption charges against Sena's Shashikant Sutar, should bring within its purview irrigation minister Mahadev Shivankar despite his ``so-called exoneration by the Puranik Committee.'' The Dudhat Commission should also summon public works minister Nitin Gadkari and food and civil supplies minister Shobatai Phadnavis to answer corruption charges , they demanded.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.