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‘Punished for speaking truth’: Rajendra Gudha after being sacked from Rajasthan cabinet
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot removed Rajendra Gudha as minister of state, hours after he criticised the state government in the assembly.
Rajasthan's former minister Rajendra Singh Gudha said on Friday that he is a person who “will always stand for the truth” and that he was “punished” for speaking the truth. He made the remarks while addressing the media after being sacked from the state cabinet by the Gehlot-led Congress government for his statements in the assembly.
“I always speak the truth, that is who I am... I got punished for speaking the truth,” said Rajendra Singh Gudha. He mentioned that he was elected by the women in Udaipurwati so that he could protect them and uphold their dignity.
Also Read | ‘Can’t speak truth': Shekhawat on Gehlot sacking his minister who cornered govt over crimes against women
“But day by day, crimes against women are increasing in Rajasthan... this state has become number one when it comes to crimes against women... we need to introspect, or else how will we face the people? This was all I said,” Gudha was quoted as saying by ANI.
“I did not commit any crime by making such a statement... I left no stone unturned to strengthen the state government. I always stood by Ashok Gehlot whenever there was a problem,” Gudha further said.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot removed Rajendra Gudha as minister of state, hours after he criticised the state government in the assembly. “The way we have failed to provide security to women in Rajasthan and atrocities against women have increased, instead of raising the issue of Manipur, we should introspect,” PTI quoted the now-sacked minister as saying in the assembly.
Gudha was serving as the minister of state (MoS) for Sainik Kalyan, Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development.
What BJP said
Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slammed Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot for reportedly sacking the minister who raised questions about “crimes against women in the state.”
Taking to Twitter, the BJP leader wrote, “You are not allowed to speak the truth in Gehlot Raj. The CM does not have the courage to accept the truth. His minister Rajendra Gudha spoke the truth in the assembly. Gehlot ji felt so bad that he removed his minister. He has sent a message to his colleagues: You won't be spared for speaking the truth. Intimidating your peers and gagging them is oppression.”
Reacting to the minister's sacking, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said in a tweet in Hindi that Gehlot removed Gudha from his cabinet for telling “the truth”.
“This shows how serious Congress is about harassment of women,” the BJP leader charged.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
