Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making a reference to the State in his remarks on the sexual violence in Manipur and said his comments had “hurt the self-respect” of the people of the State. Mr. Gehlot also asked why Mr. Modi had not visited Manipur so far.
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Gehlot said that Mr. Modi, who was visiting various States for the election campaign and travelling to foreign countries, could not even get time to hold a meeting in Manipur and review the situation there. “Manipur is a part of our country. It has a BJP government,” he added.
“Imagine what Mr. Modi would have said if Manipur was a Congress-ruled State,” Mr. Gehlot said. Expressing serious concern over the situation in the north-eastern State, he said Manipur Chief Minister had admitted that over 100 incidents of rape had taken place, while reports about nearly 4,000 FIRs having been registered were coming from the State.
The Chief Minister said Mr. Modi had hurt the sentiments of the people of Rajasthan with the way he had condemned the violence in Manipur. There was no occasion to ask the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh to look after law and order in their States when Mr. Modi was talking about Manipur, he said.
Mr. Gehlot also took exception to Mr. Modi’s remark that the Manipur incident had put 140 crore Indians to shame. “The people of the country are in fact saddened by the deeds of the Modi government. He spoke on the matter only after the Supreme Court’s intervention.... He finished his statement in a few seconds as he just wanted to complete the formality,” he said.
The sporadic incidents in Rajasthan, on which prompt action had been taken, could not be compared with the violence-hit Manipur, Mr. Gehlot said. He also said Mr. Modi was an “expert in marketing”, in which the facts were twisted and full-scale propaganda was launched.
He added that Mr. Modi, coming to address a rally in Nagaur district on July 27, would again indulge in marketing.
Asked about the dismissal of Minister of State Rajendra Gudha following his remarks in the State Assembly drawing parallels between the situation in Manipur and Rajasthan, Mr. Gehlot said it was an “internal matter” of the ruling Congress and the matter was being dealt with at the party level.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra, AICC in-charge for Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and the co-incharges were among those present at the press conference. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot was conspicuous by his absence despite a truce arrived at between him and Mr. Gehlot earlier this month.
Mr. Gudha, sacked on Friday, is considered a loyalist of Mr. Pilot and he has been criticising his own government on different issues, including corruption, law and order, crimes against women and administrative inefficiency.
Mr. Gehlot said Rajasthan had proved to be a “progressive State” with the passage of the Bill on minimum guaranteed income in the Assembly on Friday. “Rajasthan is the first State to give the entitlement-based social security to the people, for which the funds will be arranged through an efficient financial management. Rajasthan is among the leading States in terms of growth rate,” he said.
Mr. Gehlot urged the Prime Minister to follow suit and bring a law on the right to social security for all citizens of the country. “Mr. Modi, hailed as a world leader by his supporters, must study the social security laws of the U.S. and European countries and do something for Indians suffering from hunger and malnutrition,” he said, while pointing out that the Modi government was continuing with the MGNREGS launched by the UPA regime.
