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Rift affecting governance, says Gehlot

JAIPUR: Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot has expressed concern over internal differences within the ruling party in Rajasthan affecting the overall governance in the State. “The people of the State are made to pay a heavy price for the differences in the ruling party and the Government. Good governance has been a casualty ever since differences cropped up between the Chief Minister and her Cabinet colleagues,” he said.

Talking to journalists here on Wednesday, Mr. Gehlot said the ongoing crisis in the BJP and the Government was not his business but what was worrying was its impact on the citizens. “It has been over 30 months now after two Cabinet Ministers first charged Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje with not being transparent in the land allocation for SEZ. Ever since there has been a decline in the law and order situation as well in the overall development of the State,” he said.

Mr. Gehlot said the Chief Minister had not responded so far to any of the serious charges levelled against her by her Cabinet colleagues as well as senior party men. “Ms. Raje is yet to respond to a corruption charge -- of collecting money to the tune of Rs.5,000 crore -- levelled against her by MP and BJP national vice-president Kailash Meghwal in a meeting chaired by Rajnath Singh in Delhi some time back,” he noted.

Mr. Gehlot said the people were talking about Ms. Raje buying a house in London and she had only chosen to keep quiet about it as well. There were also doubts about the Women Together Award Ms. Raje had received from the US a year ago, he said.

“She had brandished it as a UN award though it turned out to be an award conferred on her by an NGO. There were only 60 persons attending the function though the Chief Minister spent lot of public money to go with a team from here to receive it,” Mr. Gehlot alleged. “I want her to come clean on the allegations so that the public perception on the Chief Minister’s post remains unsullied.”

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