Hours after Rajasthan sports minister Ashok Chandna asked to free him from his ministerial post, chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said the minister has huge work pressure and the statement could have been made under stress.
Chandna on late Thursday night had expressed anguish over the conduct of chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s principal secretary Kuldeep Ranka, referring to him as the ‘minister of all the departments’, and said he will prefer being removed as a minister.
“He is under a lot of work pressure. He might have come under tension and made a statement. We should not take it seriously. I am yet to speak with him,” Gehlot said, addressing newspersons.
“Rural Olympic Games will soon be organised, which is a budget announcement. This is for the first time in the country that such a program is being organised, which will create history. Around 30 lakh people will participate in the games such as Kabbadi and kho-kho. There is huge pressure on him (Chandna), he might have come under some stress and commented. It should not be taken seriously,” Gehlot said.
Chandna’s cabinet colleague, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, offered a similarly placatory tone and said he will talk to him. “I believe the CM will talk about the matter. It is the party’s responsibility to take Ashok Chandna’s tweet seriously.”
{{/usCountry}}Chandna’s cabinet colleague, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, offered a similarly placatory tone and said he will talk to him. “I believe the CM will talk about the matter. It is the party’s responsibility to take Ashok Chandna’s tweet seriously.”
{{/usCountry}}Another cabinet minister, Shakuntla Rawat said, “The bureaucracy is no different machinery, they are also our team…things happen in the family.”
Chandna had tweeted: “Honourable Chief Minister, I have a personal request to you… free me from this cruel ministerial post. Charge of all my departments should be given to Kuldeep Ranka ji, because anyway he is the minister of all the departments. Thank you.”
A week ago, Congress MLA from Dungarpur, Ganesh Ghogra sent his resignation to Gehlot in protest against a police case against him.
In his letter to the chief minister, Ghogra said he was being “neglected”. “My voice is suppressed by local administrative officers” despite being the Dungarpur legislator and Rajasthan youth Congress president, he said.
Ghogra’s resentment against officials was also supported by another Congress MLA Ram Lal Meena.
Quoting Chandna’s tweet, Congress leader Acharya Pramod tweeted that it’s the engine which is malfunctioning and you are talking of changing the bogies.
Swiftly reacting to the minister’s tweet, BJP chief Satish Poonia tweeted, “The ship is sinking… The trends for 2023 begin to arrive.”
BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh tweeted the screenshot of Chandna’s tweet and wrote, “High yield from Chintan Shivir for Congress.”