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Rajasthan Congress leader calls Union minister fugitive, triggers a war of words
The Rajasthan Police last year registered FIRs alleging a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state after Mahesh Joshi lodged a complaint citing three audiotapes, including allegedly of Gajendra Shekhawat
Mahesh Joshi, the chief whip of the ruling Congress in the Rajasthan assembly, on Thursday called Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat a fugitive and triggered a war of words with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has avoided giving his voice sample to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Rajasthan in connection with the audiotapes,” he said.
The Rajasthan Police last year registered First Information Reports (FIRs) alleging a conspiracy to topple the Congress government in the state after Joshi lodged a complaint citing three audiotapes, including allegedly of Shekhawat, purportedly of conversations detailing the plot. Shekhawat has denied his voice was on the audio clips, which were uploaded on social media.
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Joshi said if Shekhawat is clean, then why is he running away. “He is a fugitive on moral grounds. He should appear before the ACB and give a voice sample,” Joshi said as Congress workers shouted slogans calling Shekhawat a fugitive.
Joshi accused Shekhawat of making baseless allegations of phone tapping. “You have no faith in the Rajasthan Police and are not giving your statement or voice sample. What should be understood by this? He should cooperate with the Rajasthan Police or else people will call him a fugitive.”
Joshi said the FIR Shekhawat lodged in Delhi in March over alleged phone tapping has no grounds.
His comments came as he refused to appear before the Delhi Police for questioning in the phone tapping case.
Joshi said he has not been named in the FIR against Lokesh Sharma, an officer on special duty in chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s office.
Sharma is accused of circulating the audio clips purportedly about a conversation about toppling the Congress government in Rajasthan.
Sharma has rejected the allegations and moved the Delhi high court seeking quashing of the FIR against him.
BJP state chief Satish Poonia cited the slogans raised against Shekhawat and said that Congressmen may have been remembering “their ancestors and hence raised them”. He said Rajasthan is known for politics of harmony and ideological struggles. Poonia added Gehlot and his loyalists have started politics of animosity. “The country is watching how Congress leaders are speaking against the Prime Minister and home minister...now such words against Union ministers are condemnable.”
Poonia said no one becomes a fugitive if some people raise slogans. “It is their frustration and guilt that is coming to the fore. Earlier, there used to be ideological fights in politics in the state but now Congress has hit a new low. The Congressmen know that they are not going to retain power.”
