CM Gehlot Fires Minister Rajendra Gudha Over Remarks on Rajasthan’s Law and Order

GG News Bureau

Jaipur, 22nd July. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot fired Rajendra Gudha as state minister on Friday, just hours after he cornered the state government in the assembly over law and order.

Gudha was the Minister of State in charge of Sainik Kalyan (Independent Charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development.

A Raj Bhavan spokesperson said, “Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot recommended Governor Kalraj Mishra to dismiss member of council of ministers Rajendra Gudha in the evening. The governor has accepted this recommendation with immediate effect.”

Gudha questioned his own government’s performance in combating crimes against women on Friday, even as his peers condemned the Manipur violence.

During the Assembly discussion on the Rajasthan Minimum Income Guaranteed Bill, 2023, Congress MLAs held posters condemning the violence in Manipur. The protest, on the other hand, did not sit well with Gudha, who demanded accountability from his own government for crimes against women.

“The way we have failed to provide security to women in Rajasthan and atrocities on women have increased, instead of raising the issue of Manipur, we should introspect,” Gudha said in the assembly.

Rajendra Rathore, the Leader of the Opposition, pounced on Gudha’s statement and blasted the state government, claiming that Rajasthan tops the chart for crimes against women.

Rathore later asked Gehlot, who is also the home minister, take responsibility for Rajasthan’s “poor” state of law and order.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal responded to the allegations, stating that the state government provided the House with figures showing that the highest number of atrocities against women occurred during BJP rule.

After getting approval from the party’s high command, Gehlot sent a recommendation to the governor to dismiss Gudha.

Gudha told reporters after his dismissal that he was penalized for voicing the truth.

“Rajasthan is at number one position in crimes against women. What wrong did I say? I got the punishment for speaking the truth,” he said.

Kirodi Meena, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP, supported Gudha, saying he spoke the truth in the Assembly.

“Law and order in Rajasthan has deteriorated and crimes against women have increased multifold. The minister had expressed what is true,” he said.

Gudha, one of six BSP MLAs who won the 2018 assembly elections before defecting to the Congress in September 2019, was appointed minister in November 2021.

He represents the Udaipurwati constituency of Jhunjhunu.

Gudha and other BSP MLAs backed Gehlot during his feud with his then-deputy Sachin Pilot, which sparked a political crisis in July 2020.

However, in the last few months, Gudha has made statements in favour of Pilot.

With his recent statements, he has also embarrassed the Congress-led government.

He was heard remarking in a widely circulated video a few days ago that Gehlot and Pilot were running after him, therefore he must have some quality.

Gudha also launched a harsh attack on the Congress government, claiming that it has surpassed Karnataka’s “40% commission BJP government” in terms of corruption.

Gudha stated during a rally in favor of Pilot in May, “Hamari sarkar ka alignment kharab ho gaya (our government’s alignment has been disturbed). The record of corruption has been broken. There was an issue of 40 per cent corruption in Karnataka. Our government has surpassed it,” he had said.

During his latest visit to the state, he also met with AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

On Friday, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the second day in a row due to opposition MPs’ noisy protests over the Manipur violence. The Monsoon season began on Thursday, just one day after a horrifying video of two women being sexually abused and paraded by a mob in a Manipur village on May 4 went viral.