BJP minister attacks Gehlot, says he is glorifying Indira but is silent on Emergency
Launching a scathing attack, the minister said that Gehlot and his party were not able to handle the fact that the loan waiver scheme has given relief to lakhs of farmers.
State higher education minister Kiran Maheshwari on Wednesday took a dig at former chief minister Ashok Gehlot saying that by glorifying former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Gehlot was trying to defend the atrocities committed during Emergency and promoting dynastic politics.
Launching a scathing attack, the minister said that Gehlot and his party were not able to handle the fact that the loan waiver scheme has given relief to lakhs of farmers. She alleged that during the Congress’ regime, the centres for purchasing crops under the minimum support price (MSP) used to be empty while BJP had opened several new centres for purchasing crops under MSP.
The minister said that the present government has done a lot for women and Dalits, who were not safe during the Congress regime.
Reacting to Gehlot’s comments on liquor cess for cow protection, Maheshwari said that being a former chief minister Gehlot knows that cess on liquor was a way to increase revenue. “Gehlot ji is only trying to mislead the people through his statements. He should set his house in order first. The BJP will continue to do its good work without bothering about what he says,” the minister said.
On Gehlot’s charge that the state government was protecting Bajri (river sand) mafia, she said that it was during the Congress regime that the contract was handed over to one person. We have taken action against bajri mafia.
On Ghanshyam Tiwari leaving the party, the minister said it will not make a difference as BJP was a cadre-based party.
A few days ago, Gehlot and state agriculture minister Prabhulal Saini were involved in a war of words over the plight of garlic farmers.
Gehlot had, in a series of tweets, targeted chief minister Vasundhara Raje and said that even as they are “busy in propaganda” over farm loan waiver, the farmers in Raje’s home constituency are facing financial problems due to crash in prices of garlic and state government’s failure to purchase it at a fair price.
Reacting to his statement, Saini said that Gehlot was “a master” in spreading rumour. “The state government has taken a series of steps for farmers’ welfare. The opposition has nothing better to do but to spread rumours,” he had said.
