Former Rajasthan deputy CM Sachin Pilot has been critical of current CM Ashok Gehlot’s handling of corruption cases that made headlines in the previous BJP tenure. In a recent press conference, Pilot raised the concern that many cases of alleged graft were not acted upon even after his suggestion. Pilot discussed instances of no action taken against the alleged excise, mining and land mafia in the state, as well as the Lalit Modi affidavit case, which dealt with a potential investment from Raje in ex-IPL chief’s venture.
Pilot spoke out about his two written requests to the CM to uphold their election promises, yet he was ignored. Expressing discontent with the Congress government’s complacency towards corruption, Pilot mentioned his fear of being viewed as complicit. He indicated that without proper action taken against corruption, the rival party has an excuse to make it appear as though both parties are in collusion.
The Gehlot-led Congress government should prioritize their own election promises, said Pilot, and show the citizens of Rajasthan that they have the same stance on corruption as they did in opposition. Pilot believed that the incumbent government had the credibility to take on corruption and therefore came to power. He encouraged that the government take initiative and take action against corruption cases to fulfill their promise of a zero-tolerance policy.
On the flip side, Pilot also spoke about the misuse of agencies such as the CBI and ED by the BJP-led Centre. This form of targeting Congress leaders was also criticized. In this light, Rajasthan’s Congress government must show their own impartiality in the matter by not resort to any misuse of their own.
Ashok Gehlot is a stalwart Indian politician with a long history of public service. He has been the Chief Minister of Rajasthan since December 2018, and was also the CM from 1998-2003 and 2008-2013. His political career dates back to the early 1970s.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the ruling political party of India. Founded in 1980, the BJP believes in “integral humanism,” which combines both economic and spiritual growth. The BJP has been in power since 2014, winning both a majority in the Lok Sabha and in individual state legislatures.
