JAIPUR: Rajasthan's sacked water resource minister Mahipal Maderna, embroiled in a sleaze scandal, was late on Saturday suspended from the Congress party's primary membership. Maderna, who is facing investigation on charges of kidnapping of government nurse Bhanwari Devi, is being questioned by the CBI.

In a related development, forest, environment and mines minister Ramlal Jat resigned after accusations against him of having illicit relations with some women in local bodies. However, chief minister Ashok Gehlot is yet to accept Jat's resignation. Jat has refuted the allegations but said he has quit on moral grounds. He said he was ready to face any probe on the charges against him.

A regional newspaper published reports about the forest minister on Saturday and linked him to some women representatives in local bodies in his constituency. In a written statement, Jat said, "I am immensely hurt by the news. It's a direct attack on the sanctity of my family and social relations."

Talking to reporters in Jaipur, the minister said, "The slanderous news is a conspiracy of the Opposition BJP, its leader Vasundhara Raje and some businessmen." Jat said he was ready to undergo DNA tests to prove his innocence.

BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi said, "Where does the BJP figure in this? The news report says the allegations against Jat were leveled by the deceased Paras Devi's father. If there is nothing against him, why did he resign?" Chaturvedi said it would better if Jat faced investigation before working as a minister.

In September this year, Jat was accused of showing "unusual hurry" in getting the body of Paras Devi cremated. It was reported that the woman died in the evening after swallowing pesticide and Jat used his influence to get a postmortem conducted at night. It was alleged that when government doctors at Bhilwara refused to carry out the autopsy at night, the collector gave permission for it in violation of the law.

Forest minister Jat said, "The news report says she was my cousin's wife. There is tradition in villages not to get a postmortem done so the family took away the body from the hospital. But when objections were raised, the body was brought back and the postmortem got delayed," the minister reasoned.

On his alleged relationships, he said the charge was slanderous. "These women were elected due to their capabilities and being popular in the public," he said.