News Analysis India

Tag: Rajendra Rathore

  • ‘If Pilot can become CM by getting shoes hurled at me he should do it’: Rajasthan Minister Chandna

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Minister Ashok Chandna has reacted sharply to Sachin Pilot supporters hurling footwear towards a stage where he was present, saying if the ex-state Congress president can become a chief minister by getting shoes hurled at him, he should do it.

    He also got into a war of words with Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly Rajendra Rathore, who along with him and other leaders of the Congress and BJP was present on the stage when shoes were hurled.

    The incident happened on Monday at a mass meeting held before the immersion of the ashes of Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla in the Pushkar lake.

    However, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot was not present at the mass meeting.

    Both Pilot and Chandna are from the Gurjar community.

    As soon as Industries Minister Shakuntala Rawat, Sports Minister Chandna and other Congress leaders got on the dais, Pilot’s supporters in the crowd started hooting, upset over the former deputy chief minister allegedly not being invited to the programme.

    Some of them even hurled shoes toward the stage.

    However, the footwear did not make contact with anyone as they fell short of the dais.

    Police had to be called in to control the situation.

    Family members of the over 70 people killed in police firing during Gurjar agitations for reservation in the past were also present on the stage.

    Chandna took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the incident.

    “A wonderful sight was seen when Rajendra Rathore, the then cabinet member who ordered the killing of 72 people, was applauded when he came on stage and shoes were thrown at those whose family members went to jail in the agitation,” he tweeted in the evening.

    A few hours later, he posted another tweet challenging Pilot.

    “If Sachin Pilot becomes chief minister by getting a shoe thrown at me, then he should do it soon because today I do not feel like fighting. The day I come to fight, then only one will be left and I do not want this,” he said.

    There has been no reaction from Pilot over this controversy so far.

    Rathore reacted to Chandna’s tweet referring to him, saying that before accusing others, he should introspect and see why the situation has arisen.

    “If you take the ripe crop of others to your field, then the result will be like this. Now look ahead and see what happens,” Rathore tweeted.

    Chandna replied, “Wasn’t you a minister in the 2007 ‘Golikand’ government? Your experience and age are more than mine, so I will not comment. Everyone has seen who came yesterday to harvest the crop.”

    Vijay Bainsla, the son of Kirori Singh Bainsla, said that Pilot was extended an invitation for the mass meeting but he did not come.

    “He must have been busy elsewhere.”

    Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wrote a letter paying tributes to Kirori Singh Bainsla on Monday.

    Pilot tweeted in the evening paying homage to Bainsla on his birth anniversary and immersion of his ashes.

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Minister Ashok Chandna has reacted sharply to Sachin Pilot supporters hurling footwear towards a stage where he was present, saying if the ex-state Congress president can become a chief minister by getting shoes hurled at him, he should do it.

    He also got into a war of words with Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly Rajendra Rathore, who along with him and other leaders of the Congress and BJP was present on the stage when shoes were hurled.

    The incident happened on Monday at a mass meeting held before the immersion of the ashes of Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla in the Pushkar lake.

    However, former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot was not present at the mass meeting.

    Both Pilot and Chandna are from the Gurjar community.

    As soon as Industries Minister Shakuntala Rawat, Sports Minister Chandna and other Congress leaders got on the dais, Pilot’s supporters in the crowd started hooting, upset over the former deputy chief minister allegedly not being invited to the programme.

    Some of them even hurled shoes toward the stage.

    However, the footwear did not make contact with anyone as they fell short of the dais.

    Police had to be called in to control the situation.

    Family members of the over 70 people killed in police firing during Gurjar agitations for reservation in the past were also present on the stage.

    Chandna took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the incident.

    “A wonderful sight was seen when Rajendra Rathore, the then cabinet member who ordered the killing of 72 people, was applauded when he came on stage and shoes were thrown at those whose family members went to jail in the agitation,” he tweeted in the evening.

    A few hours later, he posted another tweet challenging Pilot.

    “If Sachin Pilot becomes chief minister by getting a shoe thrown at me, then he should do it soon because today I do not feel like fighting. The day I come to fight, then only one will be left and I do not want this,” he said.

    There has been no reaction from Pilot over this controversy so far.

    Rathore reacted to Chandna’s tweet referring to him, saying that before accusing others, he should introspect and see why the situation has arisen.

    “If you take the ripe crop of others to your field, then the result will be like this. Now look ahead and see what happens,” Rathore tweeted.

    Chandna replied, “Wasn’t you a minister in the 2007 ‘Golikand’ government? Your experience and age are more than mine, so I will not comment. Everyone has seen who came yesterday to harvest the crop.”

    Vijay Bainsla, the son of Kirori Singh Bainsla, said that Pilot was extended an invitation for the mass meeting but he did not come.

    “He must have been busy elsewhere.”

    Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wrote a letter paying tributes to Kirori Singh Bainsla on Monday.

    Pilot tweeted in the evening paying homage to Bainsla on his birth anniversary and immersion of his ashes.

  • BJP slams Gehlot over his rape law remarks, brings up Rajasthan’s poor record on women safety

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The BJP on Sunday slammed Ashok Gehlot for his rape law remarks and said that the Rajasthan chief minister is trying to hide his government’s failures to curb rising incidents of atrocities against innocent girls in the state.

    Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the chief minister’s statement is “unfortunate”.

    “In the last three years, Rajasthan has become the centre for atrocities against young innocent girls. Nothing can be more unfortunate that the issue is being twisted by making controversial statements to hide their failures,” said Shekhawat.

    Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Rajendra Rathore said Gehlot’s statement is “unfortunate and shameful”.

    The CM, who also heads the home department, cannot escape the failure of his government in curbing increasing rape cases in the state by making absurd statements, Rathore said.

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Friday, chief minister Gehlot said that the cases of murder after rape have increased in the country following the law providing death sentence for rape convicts came into force.

    “Ever since the death penalty (for rape convicts) is brought after Nirbhaya incident, the murders after rape have increased. The rapist sees that the girl will become a witness tomorrow, so he not only rapes but also kills her. This is happening across the country. This is a very dangerous trend,” Gehlot had said.

    The CM was referring to December 16, 2012 Delhi gangrape incident, which was later called as the ‘Nirbhaya’ incident.

    According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2020, Rajasthan has earned the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of rape cases in the country followed by Uttar Pradesh.

    Though the state continues to top in rape cases in 2020, the number of such cases (5997) has declined by 11.

    45% in comparison to 2019, the NCRB data shows.

    Reacting to the CM’s statement, BJP leader Rathore said the statistics of NCRB and police report show that the state ranks first in the country in rape cases.

    He also claimed that from January 2020 to January 2022, 4,091 cases have been registered under the POCSO Act.

    Rathore said that in the previous BJP government, a law was made for the provision of capital punishment to those accused of raping a minor.

    Unfortunately, the CM, who has failed to curb the incidents of rape of innocent girls, is now opposing the provision of capital punishment.

    “If you have the courage to bring a resolution against this law in the assembly, then we will give a befitting reply to them,” he said.

    Rathore claimed that 16 incidents of rape are taking place in Rajasthan every day and Gehlot has stated that 48% of rape cases are false.

    By making such statements again and again, the CM is doing an act of encouraging the morale of the brutal rapists instead of breaking them, the BJP leader said.

    Shashikant Sharma, OSD to CM Gehlot, said, “He (Gehlot) had given a statement on rising unemployment, inflation, and increasing crimes, which has been presented in a distorted manner by BJP’s IT cell.”

    Sharing a video of Gehlot, his another OSD Lokesh Sharma said, “Listen and understand. CM Gehlot expressed concern over the increasing trend of murder of rape victims across the country. The form in which he spoke is being made a matter of controversy without any reason. He called it a dangerous trend which is a matter of concern for all.”

    JAIPUR: The BJP on Sunday slammed Ashok Gehlot for his rape law remarks and said that the Rajasthan chief minister is trying to hide his government’s failures to curb rising incidents of atrocities against innocent girls in the state.

    Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the chief minister’s statement is “unfortunate”.

    “In the last three years, Rajasthan has become the centre for atrocities against young innocent girls. Nothing can be more unfortunate that the issue is being twisted by making controversial statements to hide their failures,” said Shekhawat.

    Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Rajendra Rathore said Gehlot’s statement is “unfortunate and shameful”.

    The CM, who also heads the home department, cannot escape the failure of his government in curbing increasing rape cases in the state by making absurd statements, Rathore said.

    Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Friday, chief minister Gehlot said that the cases of murder after rape have increased in the country following the law providing death sentence for rape convicts came into force.

    “Ever since the death penalty (for rape convicts) is brought after Nirbhaya incident, the murders after rape have increased. The rapist sees that the girl will become a witness tomorrow, so he not only rapes but also kills her. This is happening across the country. This is a very dangerous trend,” Gehlot had said.

    The CM was referring to December 16, 2012 Delhi gangrape incident, which was later called as the ‘Nirbhaya’ incident.

    According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2020, Rajasthan has earned the dubious distinction of registering the highest number of rape cases in the country followed by Uttar Pradesh.

    Though the state continues to top in rape cases in 2020, the number of such cases (5997) has declined by 11.

    45% in comparison to 2019, the NCRB data shows.

    Reacting to the CM’s statement, BJP leader Rathore said the statistics of NCRB and police report show that the state ranks first in the country in rape cases.

    He also claimed that from January 2020 to January 2022, 4,091 cases have been registered under the POCSO Act.

    Rathore said that in the previous BJP government, a law was made for the provision of capital punishment to those accused of raping a minor.

    Unfortunately, the CM, who has failed to curb the incidents of rape of innocent girls, is now opposing the provision of capital punishment.

    “If you have the courage to bring a resolution against this law in the assembly, then we will give a befitting reply to them,” he said.

    Rathore claimed that 16 incidents of rape are taking place in Rajasthan every day and Gehlot has stated that 48% of rape cases are false.

    By making such statements again and again, the CM is doing an act of encouraging the morale of the brutal rapists instead of breaking them, the BJP leader said.

    Shashikant Sharma, OSD to CM Gehlot, said, “He (Gehlot) had given a statement on rising unemployment, inflation, and increasing crimes, which has been presented in a distorted manner by BJP’s IT cell.”

    Sharing a video of Gehlot, his another OSD Lokesh Sharma said, “Listen and understand. CM Gehlot expressed concern over the increasing trend of murder of rape victims across the country. The form in which he spoke is being made a matter of controversy without any reason. He called it a dangerous trend which is a matter of concern for all.”

  • BJP leader writes to Governor on Gehlot government’s political appointments

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Rajendra Rathore has written to Governor Kalraj Mishra, claiming that the state government is trying to appoint more MLAs to the posts of adviser to the chief minister and as parliamentary secretaries than the set constitutional limit.

    In his letter to the governor, the BJP leader said that the state government has already given office of profit to six MLAs by appointing them as advisers to the chief minister on par with cabinet or minister of state rank.

    This is unconstitutional, Rathore claimed.

    He also claimed that there are plans to appoint a dozen parliamentary secretaries on par with cabinet and minister of state rank.

    These appointments of advisers and parliamentary secretaires violate the constitutional norm that “the number of ministers in the government can be up to 15 per cent of the total assembly seats”, Rathore said.

    There are 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan.

    He alleged that the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state was intending to do so to please dissatisfied MLAs.

    Rathore’s remarks come in the backdrop of the expansion of the Gehlot cabinet in which many Congress and independent MLAs, who were expecting ministerial berths, were not accommodated.

    These legislators would be adjusted through political appointments such as parliamentary secretaries and advisers, sources had said on Sunday, when 15 new ministers were sworn in.

    “The number of ministers in the government can be up to 15 per cent of the total assembly seats according to the Constitution and it (state government) is trying to please the dissatisfied MLAs by giving them office of profit by appointing them as advisers and parliamentary secretaries, which is illegal and unconstitutional,” he said in his letter.

    Citing Articles 164 (1A), 191 (1) (A) and 246 of the Constitution and a Supreme Court decision, Rathore said that appointment of parliamentary secretaries and advisers is clearly defined.

    On the appointment of six MLAs as advisers to the chief minister, Rathore was referring to the appointment of three Congress and as many independent MLAs to the post after the Cabinet expansion on Sunday In his letter, Rathore said that the Congress has been facing infighting since it came to power in Rajasthan and now by going above the limit defined in the Constitution, is trying to please dissatisfied legislators by giving them appointments of parliamentary secretaries and advisers.

    “We demand that the governor cancel appointment of advisers to the chief minister and bind the state government to not appoint parliamentary secretaries,” Rathore said.

    Those appointed advisers are — Congress MLAs Jitendra Singh, Rajkumar Sharma and Danish Abrar, and independent MLAs Babu Lal Nagar, Sanyam Lodha and Ramkesh Meena, according to a list of the chief minister’s office.

    The Congress has 108 MLAs in the 200-member assembly.

    It also has the support of 12 out of 13 independent MLAs.

    With the induction of 12 new ministers and elevation of three ministers from MoS to cabinet rank, the number of the ministry now has 30 members, the maximum possible for Rajasthan.

    The council of ministers has 19 cabinet ministers and 10 ministers of state, apart from the chief minister.