Shekhawat must give voice samples: Cong
Cong alleges Union minister has no moral authority to continue in office; BJP says the move to tap phones not legal
NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: The Congress demanded the resignation of Union water resources minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat over the political crisis in Rajasthan on Sunday, reiterating its allegation that he is involved in a plot to topple the state government.
Shekhawat, a BJP parliamentarian from Jodhpur, has no moral authority to continue in office and he should resign to ensure that the probe is not influenced, Congress leader Ajay Maken said.
Rajasthan’s ruling Congress says Shekhawat’s voice can be heard in audio tapes purportedly recording conversations detailing a plot to topple the state government. Shekhawat denies the charge and says he is ready for a probe.
“If Union minister Gajendra Singh claims that it is not his voice [in the clips], and the reference in the audio clip is to some other Gajendra Singh, then why is he afraid of giving voice sample?” Maken asked.
Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said the Congress has no right to ask for Shekhawat’s resignation.
The BJP has previously sought a CBI probe into phonetapping of politicians amid the power tussle between CM Ashok Gehlot and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
JAIPUR: The Congress demanded the resignation of Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat over the political crisis in Rajasthan on Sunday, reiterating its allegation that he is involved in a plot to topple the state government.
Shekhawat, a BJP parliamentarian from Jodhpur, has no moral authority to continue in office and he should resign to ensure that the probe is not influenced, Congress leader Ajay Maken said.
Rajasthan’s ruling Congress says Union water minister Shekhawat’s voice could be heard in audio tapes purportedly containing conversations detailing a plot to topple the government. Shekhawat denies the charge and says he is ready for a probe.
At a press conference, Maken, who is visiting Jaipur as a Congress observer, said Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a case over the audio tapes and named Gajendra Singh, rebel Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma and alleged middleman Sanjay Jain, who has been arrested. Separately, the police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) has filed three first information reports, or FIRs, in connection with the case.
“If Union minister Gajendra Singh claims that it is not his voice [in the clips], and the reference in the audio clip is to some other Gajendra Singh, then why is he afraid of giving voice sample?” Maken asked.
One of the FIRs filed by the SOG does not identify “Gajendra Singh” as Union minister Shekhawat.
Maken also alleged that the police in Haryana and Delhi were giving protection to rebel Congress MLAs from Rajasthan.
CM Ashok Gehlot is locked in a power tussle with former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, who have the backing of 18 Congress legislators and three independents. These MLAs are believed to be camping in Gurugram.
Maken also asked why a team of the Rajasthan Police was “stopped by the Haryana Police” on Friday while trying to take voice samples of Congress MLAs Sharma and Vishvendra Singh at a Gurugram hotel.
While the BJP has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into what it called a “saga of illegalities and concocted lies”, the Congress says the demand amounted to “admission of guilt”.
Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said the Congress has no right to ask for Shekhawat’s resignation. He said the state government “violated the Constitution” and illegally tapped into phone, adding that there is no question of giving a voice sample when the audio tapes are themselves illegal. “The government should prove its mandate and stop misguiding people,” he said.