Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched a scathing attack on Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and accused him of orchestrating the entire political drama unfolding in the state prior to Rajya Sabha polls. He said this has been done to make Sachin Pilot cut a sorry figure before the central leadership of the party.
Shekhawat also challenged Gehlot on seven issues.
The Union Minister and Chief Minister both belong to Jodhpur and it is also their respective constituency.
Shekhawat said that the entire script had been penned by Gehlot to hide his tension and take the focus away from the differences within his party. He said that Pilot was the running to become the Chief Minister after the 2018 state elections, but Gehlot changed all that.
He also said that borders have been sealed in the name of the coronavirus only to unleash a political virus.
Shekhawat challenged Gehlot on seven issues:
1 – The weak link MLAs should be named if Gehlot actually believes that horse trading is taking place. Case has been registered with SOG to prevent independent MLAs from voting according to their conscience.
2 – Reacting to Randeep Surjewala’s comment about ‘Gehlot’s mortar grinds finely’ the Union Minister said ever since Gehlot’s son lost in the general elections (to Shekhawat) the public has been getting grinded. This grinding has also been felt by many political opponents including Parasram Maderna. He cautioned people over Surjewala’s performance in Jind and Kaithal and suggested that such people should not vitiate the atmosphere in Rajasthan.
3 – Levelling counter charges of horse trading, Shekhawat asked Gehlot why Panchayat and Municipal elections were postponed in the state. This, he said, was done as horse trading was not completed, especially in Jodhpur.
4 – The Union Minister said it is shameful how Gehlot accuses Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and added that the public will settle scores for this insult.
5 – Shekhawat said that Constitutional Amendments to check horse trading have been brought about because the Congress had misused Article 356 on 93 occasions. It is an expert on finding ways to break laws, he alleged.
6 – A man takes tough decisions when his self-respect is under attack. Scindia had to leave the Congress with 23 others only to keep his self-respect intact, Shekhawat said.
7 – Shekhawat accused Gehlot of having different parameters for self and others. He said that in two of his tenures Gehlot has merged all BSP MLAs into Congress and had no right to comment on Constitutional values.
He advised Sachin Pilot to hold individual talks with each of the MLAs and try to understand the pain that the people of Rajasthan were undergoing.
