Well, Rajendra Singh Bidhuri the Congress MLA from Begun, Chittorgarh is in news once again. This time he has refused rations to a woman who likes PM Narendra Modi more than Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot. The incident took place on Saturday at in a village in Rawatbhata area of Begun where Bidhuri was distributing rations among people.
This is the second controversy surrounding Bidhuri in the span of a week. He got an IAS transferred for issuing a challan to his car when it violated lockdown.
A huge crowd had gathered for the distribution and a public address system was also in place for the legislator to address the beneficiaries. Addressing the people Bidhuri asked, “Who is better Ashok Gehlot or Modi? The man who gives rations or asks you to light lamps?” There were replies from the crowd while some said Gehlot a woman’s opinion favoured Modi. Bidhuri immediately responds to the woman, “Give back the rations and go light lamps.”
A video of the incident went viral and Bidhuri is now issuing clarification. “The video has been tampered with. I merely asked them about who is better; the man who provides food to the poor (Gehlot) or who asks you to light a lamp (Modi). I gave the woman rations - that is being sent is by the Ashok Gehlot government. BJP can praise Modi, we will praise Sonia, Gehlot and Pilot,” said an unfazed Bidhuri.
Bidhuri, an outspoken Congress MLA, is well known for his arbitrary style, verbal faux pas and controversies.
This week itself on April 14 he entered into an altercation with the Tejaswini Rana, SDM Begun when she halted his car that was violating lockdown norms and travelling in a no vehicle zone of the evening market.
The legislator of the ruling party was travelling in a vehicle that had no curfew pass when Rana, a forthright officer, stopped him. While Bidhuri put up a decent public front and paid the challan, he used his clout to get IAS officer Tejaswi Rana transferred the very next day on April 15.
The video of Bidhuri asking the woman to give back rations because she preferred Modi over Gehlot has provided BJP the much needed proof to substantiate its allegations regarding discrimination in ration and food distribution.
FIRs have been lodged against two BJP MLAs for accusing the state government of appeasement and preferential distribution of rations. They had alleged that ration was being distributed in areas that had Congress MLAs and Minority population while areas of BJP MLAs were being left out.
BJP president Satish Poonia launched a verbal attack on the Congress government of Rajasthan, Speaking to The Free Press Journal Poonia said, “The video of Congress MLA Rajendra Bidhuri is proof that what we have been saying is true. The government is using food and rations to play a cheap game of political appeasement. They are celebrating the epidemic as an opportunity to score brownie points. Gathering a crowd and delivering speeches during ration distribution is shameful. The government and Congress should rise above such petty opportunism. We have been voicing the concerns of the people and providing them all possible relief and will continue to do so.”
The issue of favouritism and preferential treatment had been simmering for some time and Bidhuri’s video is sure to snowball the issue to a larger scale.
