Insult, conspiracy: BJP’s Vasundhara Raje’s rebuttal after Ashok Gehlot’s ‘praise’
Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders slammed Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for his statement against Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing a rally at Dholpur.
He also made a startling admission and said that former CM Vasundhara Raje and two other BJP leaders had helped save his government during the 2020 revolt by Congress MLAs.
Reacting to this, former CM Vasundhara Raje in her official statement said, “Ashok Gehlot is lying due to fear of defeat in 2023. He has accused the Home Minister Amit Shah, whose honesty and integrity are well known.”
“Ashok Gehlot praising me is a big conspiracy planned against me. No one can insult me as much as Gehlot did in his life,” the senior BJP leader said.
Addressing an event in Dholpur, Gehlot said, “My government was saved because of the support of three BJP leaders — former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, former assembly speaker Kailash Meghwal and MLA Shobharani Kushwah.”
“(Union ministers) Amit Shah, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Dharmendra Pradhan conspired together to topple my government. They distributed money in Rajasthan and they are not taking the money back now. I am surprised why they are not demanding the money back from them (the MLAs),” he claimed.
Vasundhara Raje further said that both taking and giving bribes are crimes. If their MLAs have taken money, then an FIR should be lodged, she added.
“The truth is that he has made such outrageous and untrue allegations in fury because of the rebel happening in his own party and the mass base going into the abyss.”
‘GEHLOT MASTERMIND BEHIND HORSE TRADING’
The former CM said that as far as horse trading is concerned, Ashok Gehlot himself is the mastermind behind it.
“He did this in 2008 and 2018 as his government did not have the support of the majority MLAs. At that time neither the BJP nor the Congress got majority, Raje added.
“At that time, if we wanted, we too could have formed the government, but it was against the principles of the BJP. On the contrary, Gehlot formed the government both times by arranging MLAs through his transactions,” Vasundhara Raje alleged.
“To avoid the historic defeat in the 2023 elections, he is creating such fabricated stories, but this trick of his is not going to be successful,” she said.
LEADER OF OPPOSITION RAJENDRA RATHORE’S ATTACK
Rajendra Rathore, Leader of Opposition Rajasthan State Assembly, said, “Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ji, you have raised the allegation of implicating Home Minister Amit Shah ji, so please also tell that the government is also yours, control over the police is also yours.”
“You are also the home minister, you have the most information about the MLAs who have come to your notice, then what is the delay? Why are you not releasing the list even after two years have passed?” questioned Rajendra Rathore launching a scathing attack against Ashok Gehlot.
“You have taken the details of which MLAs got how many crores and how much money was spent. Then why the delay in registering the police case against the so-called marketable MLAs?” he asked further.