JAIPUR: A day after he waved a ‘red diary’ in the assembly alleging it contained details of financial irregularities involving Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and others, sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha on Tuesday called for a narco test on all ministers in the state.
In an interview with PTI, he also took sides with Sachin Pilot in the now-off, now-on tussle between Gehlot and his former deputy.
He hit out at Gehlot for calling senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot “nikamma”, “nakara” and “gaddar”. Pilot’s father Rajesh Pilot worked for the Congress and Sachin Pilot himself has been working for the party for 20 years, Gudha said.
Referring to Sachin Pilot, the Congress MLA said, “The one who brought the party from 21 seats to 99 seats cannot be a ‘nikamma’ (worthless).”
“If someone gets 21 seats out of 200, can that person be called hardworking,” Gudha said, apparently referring to Gehlot and taking sides.
Gudha was suspended from the Rajasthan assembly on Monday after it saw unruly scenes including pushing and shoving over the ‘red diary’. He has been targeting Gehlot following his sacking on Friday evening, hours after he cornered his own government in the Assembly over the issue of crimes against women in the state.
Gudha held charge as the minister of state for Sainik Kalyan (Independent Charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development.
On Tuesday, the former minister also claimed that he wanted to table the diary in the assembly.
“Narco test is a scientific and trustworthy test. Agencies across the world accept it and even the judiciary accepts it. I am saying that the test be conducted on the entire council of ministers, including me, to reveal the truth about rape and corruption. It will reveal who is lying and who is speaking the truth,” he told PTI.
On a question of whether the diary mentions just one minister or several, Gudha said, “Here we do not have a Congress government. It is a Gehlot government. He is the home minister, finance minister and chief minister. Also, the PCC chief and the state Congress in-charge are in his pocket. One man is the entire system. The red diary is a big danger for him.”
The former minister added that he is now being accused of working hand in glove with the BJP. He said when the Gehlot government was in crisis in 2008, it was he who brought about the support of six BSP MLAs to secure the government.
Gudha is now part of the group of six ex-BSP MLAs who have joined the Congress.
“The chief minister came to my constituency on my son’s birthday. He even said that if Gudha were not there, he would not have been the chief minister,” the ex-minister said.
Referring to Gehlot sacking him as a minister, Gudha said, “I had only said that we need to introspect on the issues of crimes against women for which I was terminated from the council of ministers.”
Gudha said he has never relied on Gehlot for votes, and reminded that the group of ex-Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs in the House has supported the Congress veteran.
“We have voted six times in Rajya Sabha elections for him, supported him for chief minister twice, voted in the president’s election. We have saved the Congress government during a political crisis. We have worked a lot for the state and for him,” he added.
Replying to a question about whether the issues raised by him will affect Congress in the upcoming elections, the ex-minister said, “Women are feeling insecure. Recruitment exam papers have leaked. Those made members were involved in selling the papers.”
“There is resentment among the youth. The youth and the unemployed are committing suicide,” he added.
Gudha said that he will visit every village in his constituency and seek people’s opinions before deciding the future course of action about his political career. (PTI)