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Raje provoked BJP men to disturb Sonia visit: Gehlot

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot has accused Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje of provoking her party workers to create a scene during Congress president Sonia Gandhi's visit to flood-affected areas in Barmer district. "This was a reprehensible act. Ms. Raje did this as a defensive mechanism to hide her failures in tackling the flood situation in Barmer and elsewhere in the State," he said.

"Ms. Raje is unfamiliar with the great traditions of hospitality in Rajasthan. Ms. Gandhi came to help the people of the State but the Chief Minister provoked her party workers to shout slogans against her," Mr. Gehlot said, talking to a group of newspersons here. "Ms.Raje is politicising the issue accusing Ms. Gandhi of playing politics. In fact Ms. Gandhi talked about both the State and the Centre working together for providing succour to the affected people," Mr. Gehlot pointed out.

"During the period of the National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre, the Congress Government in Rajasthan had frequently requested the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani to visit the State during drought. They never did it even once. Ms.Gandhi visited Barmer along with Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee as chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance. The State Government should have welcomed her and thanked her for her gesture," Mr.Gehlot said.

"In fact the Chief Minister herself reached Barmer five days after the floods. The memorandum for Central assistance was sent 10 days after the calamity," Mr. Gehlot pointed out.

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