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‘Chaape wali sarkar’: Ashok Gehlot amps up attacks on Centre over I-T raids
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot also accused the BJP-led central government of trying to finish the opposition in the country.
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JAIPUR: Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused the ruling National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre of misusing agencies and conducting raids to threaten its political rivals. “This is a “chhape wali sarkar” (government that conducts raids),” he said.
“The NDA government at the Centre has a tendency to conduct (income tax) raids …such raids were made at my brother’s place. When raids were conducted at the residence of Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra, his sister’s place was also raided, who lives in a two-room flat,” the chief minister told reporters at the Press Club in state capital Jaipur.
Ashok Gehlot also accused the BJP of trying to finish the opposition in the country and asked if the Supreme Court should not prioritise the hearing of cases of Pegasus and electoral bonds that, he alleged, are being misused by the government for weakening the opposition.
“Should the Supreme Court not decide priorities in issues like Pegasus and electoral bonds? Almost 98% of funding is going to BJP and the rest is going to all other political parties in the country. Political parties are getting ruined,” he said.
Asked about reports about Meghalaya governor Satyapal Malik’s purported claim that Union home minister Amit Shah told him that the PM “has lost his mind”, Gehlot said he didn’t think that the home minister could use such language for PM Modi.
“I don’t think Amit Shah can use such language for PM. Only two people are ruling the country today. There are just two faces – Modi and Amit Shah. If he has spoken such words, then it is a kind of an understanding,” Gehlot said.
The chief minister was dismissive of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s plans to contest assembly polls in Rajasthan, Gehlot said he is a ‘partner’ of the BJP and whatever he speaks, he does it to strengthen the BJP.
The chief minister also accused the central government of weakening the state financially and said that the Centre needs to change its policy to strengthen the state.
“The revenue collection of the states has reduced because of Covid pandemic and due to wrong policies of the Centre and there is a need for the government of India to change its policy to financially empower states,” he said.
Rajasthan’s deputy leader of opposition in the assembly Rajendra Rathore said Gehlot was levelling to hide his government’s failures.
Rathod said it is unfortunate that Gehlot was raising questions about misuse of constitutional institutions and the alleged Pegasus espionage case. “Whereas under his (Gehlot) leadership, in the year 2020, by defying Section 5 (2) of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and Section 419 (A) of the Indian Telegraph Rules, 1951, the government machinery was misused and the phones of elected representatives were tapped,” he said, referring to the BJP’s phone tapping charges levelled at the state’s Congress government.
Rathore said Gehlot has done nothing except to increase his numbers in front of the Delhi high command by making false and baseless statements against the central government, and by calling Rahul Gandhi an ‘intelligent leader’.
