Partymen snipe at Gehlot in Cong vs Cong in R'than

Detractors raise voice against his 4-yr-old administration

 Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s detractors are now raising their voice against him and his government that completed four years on December 13.
 

After former MLA Sanyam Lodha, it’s now the turn of senior Congress leader and Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Ram Narayan Meena embarrass his own party’s government.

Speaking to the media at the residence of chairman, State Farmers’ Commission and former PCC chief Narayan Singh, the deputy Speaker expressed unhappiness over Gehlot government’s failure to take action against irregularities and misdeeds committed by the previous BJP government.

Meena said, “The Congress came to power on the plank of corruption and nepotism which existed under the previous government. But, after assuming power it did nothing to expose corruption.”

He said he did not know why the government has not taken any action yet.

“The government formed a lame duck commission which was struck down by the High Court. What stopped it from forming the commission under the Prevention of Corruption Act?” he said.

In a clear hint that the party has been increasingly sidelined, Meena said, “In the days of Indira Gandhi, party was everything but now it has become symbolic. The society is bigger than the government. Politicians should be able to control bureaucrats. Anyone who is unable to do so should be ignored.”

The Deputy Speaker also had a word of caution for pradesh Congress committee chief Chandrabhan who had commented that party workers were playing the role of opposition. He said, “The party chief should understand that the party comes first, the government comes later.”

Earlier, former MLA Sanyam Lodha had criticised the government at a PCC meeting for sitting idle on the corruption cases which were reported during the erstwhile BJP government.

He had also alleged that Gopalgarh police firing in which 10 muslim people died had taken place on Gehlot’s instructions. Lodha was particularly aggressive on the Mansagar (Jal Mahal) lake issue.

 “The previous government gave it away to a private party. Instead of revoking the
decision, you became a party to it and increased the area given to the private party,” he said.

 “When people went to court to challenge the decision, you took the side of the offenders. The government even went to the extent of hiring the attorney general to fight the case. He was paid Rs 6 lakh for each appearance,” said Lodha.

The attack is being seen as the distancing from Gehlot by the faction led by Union ministry C P Joshi. The fight for supremacy in the state Congress has intensified as the elections are approaching.