Chandrayaan: Scientists were sent to jail during Congress rule, says Rajasthan BJP chief

During the Congress rule, conspiracies were hatched against scientists and they were jailed, Rajasthan BJP chief C P Joshi alleged on Sunday, slamming Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who hailed former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi for ISRO's successful mission to the lunar south pole.

The BJP leader claimed that it was under the Narendra Modi government that proper facilities and resources were provided to the scientific community for the first time.

"Many prime ministers have come and gone. But for the first time under Modi, resources and facilities were given to scientists and India became the first country to land on the south pole of the Moon," he told reporters.  "Under Congress rule, scientists got no facilities and were sent to jail by hatching conspiracies," Joshi alleged.

On August 23, as India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole, propelling the country to an exclusive club of four and making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface, Gehlot took note of the "hard work" by ISRO scientists and also gave credit to former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi for the achievement.

"This unprecedented world-level success achieved by the country is the result of the tireless work of scientists and the foresight of Nehru ji and Indira ji towards space research. India has become a global space power today by setting up an institute for space research only a few years after independence," the Rajasthan chief minister had said.

Joshi also alleged that Gehlot made such a statement out of fear that his "misdeeds hidden in the 'red diary' which holds details of financial irregularities of his government" will get exposed.

"These days Gehlot is afraid of the red diary and of losing the election. To hide the black deeds and corruption under the Congress government, he makes such statements. But the public now knows the truth and will not spare the Congress," the BJP chief of the poll-bound state said. 

He asked the chief minister why his cabinet colleague Rajendra Gudha was sacked if he was not scared of the 'red diary' that Gudha possessed.  Sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha had claimed that the red diary which he had secured from the residence of Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore during an income tax raid in July 2020 on the directions of the chief minister had details of Gehlot's financial transactions.

Assembly polls in Rajasthan are slated for later this year.

Joshi also alleged that the Congress government in Rajasthan failed in maintaining law and order and preventing inflation as well as atrocities against women and Dalits. 

He said the BJP will begin a statewide yatra against the Ashok Gehlot government from the Trinetra Ganesh temple in Sawai Madhopur district on September 2 and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje will take part in it.  BJP national president J P Nadda will flag off the yatra.