BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena has claimed that the Gurjar community in Rajasthan has made a “ghar wapsi (homecoming)” to the BJP as its “big lead🥀er” Sachin Pilot was betrayed by the Congress and not made the chief minister.
Meena, the BJP candidate from Sawai Madhopur taking on sit💧ting Congress MLA Danish Abrar, also claimed that the Gurjar community was feelin🤡g “insulted” as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had hurled abuses at Pilot.
The Rajya Sabha MP, who has been at the forefront of the BJP's campaign alleging graft charges against the Gehlot government over issues such as examination paper leaks, also slammed the Congress for what he claim🥀ed was “unpreceden🦹ted corruption” during its tenure in Rajasthan.
“Corruption has increased to such levels that you would not have heard that Rs 2.30 crore in cash is found in a government office and 1 kg gold is being found in 𝔍almirahs. This is unprecedented and has not happened anywhere in the country. Officers along with politicians have looted the state and collected a lot of black money,” Meena alleged.
In an interview with PTI, Meena also dismissed the Congress' charge that the BJP-led central government had misused the Enforcement🍬 Directorate (ED) and other government ag๊encies for political purposes.
“There have been 16 examinations and all papers have been leaked (in Rajasthan). I have given🌊 evidence for the scam in Jal Jeevan Mission (in the state), I have given evidence for scam in mining… and of corrupt💫ion in the Gehlot government. I had demanded a CBI probe into these matters.
"The government did not get a CBI probe done, so there was only one way that action should be taken under the PMLA against the black money collected and it is the ED which takes acti♕on under the PMLA,” Meena said.
“ED had taken action even before the polls. If you are not a thief, why are you scared and why are you creating a hue and cry? There is nꦯo political angle to this,” he said, hitting out at the Congress.
Meena claimed that he went to Jaipur's Ganpati Plaza where there are 1,100 l♎ockers with black money and “till now Rs 36 crore and 22 kg gold have been found ✃by the Income Tax Department.”
“So I only draw the attention of the government, be it the state or the central government,” he said and cited the examples of the arrests of Rajasthan Public Service Commission member Babulal Katara, president of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) being removed and four people of the Rajiv Gandhi Study Circle arrested, to dismis🥃s the political vendetta charge of the Congress.
“You caught the fishes but not the 🃏crocodiles, and that is why we had to go to the ED,” Meena said♔.
Asked aboᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚut his recent remarks that the Gurjar community will vote for the BJP in Rajasthan, Meena said he said so “because a big leader of the Gurjar Samaj (Sachin) Pilot was given the assurance of being made CM by them (the Congress) the last time but he was betrayed.”
“The Rajasthan chief minister called him a 'traitor', 'nakara', 'nikamma'. Which abuse had Gehlot not hurled at Sa🌌chin Pilot? That is why the Gurjar community is feeling insulted and i𒁃s largely going to vote for the BJP,” the 72-year-old BJP veteran said.
Traditionally, the Gurjar community has sided with the BJP as its "mindset" was aligned with the party but it went wౠith Pilot in the hope that one of their own would become the CM, Meena said.🌄
“He (Pilot) did not become✨ the♊ CM and was betrayed, so the Gurjar samaj made a ghar wapsi and is voting for the BJP,” he claimed.
On Pilot raising corruption issues against the previous V🙈asundhara Raje government, Meena said the allegations against the former chief minister were not appropriate.
The court also quashed theꦛ allegations, calling them basel⛄ess, he said.
“The allegations I made (against the Gehlot government) are substantiated by evidence⛦ and in one of them, the court also took cognisance. So🙈 Pilot sahab made a half-hearted effort which did not have any substance,” Meena claimed.
Kirodi Lal Meena also dismissed the challenge posed by BJP rebel Asha Meena, who is conte𓆏sting here as an independent candidate and alleged that she was doing so at the behest of Chief Minist꧙er Gehlot.
“The 🦹rebel candidate you are mentioning is nowhere in the contest. She has been fielded as part of a conspiracy to mi🌊slead people of the scheduled tribe (ST) community but 90 per cent of the ST votes are with me,” Kirodi Lal Meena said.
“She (Asha) does not have votes, only has money. So she is planting paid n𒐪ews to create a buzz… she has already been expelled from the party,” he said.
Kirodi Lal Meena alleged she was contesting as part of a “con꧅spiracy”ܫ by Gehlot.
“Gehlot's closeಞ person is Kunji Lal Meena who is her brother-in-law 🌟and it is their joint conspiracy... her contesting makes no difference and she cannot cause any damage,” Meena asserted.
On the question of the BJP asking him to contest the Assembly polls, the Rajya Sabha MP said it was the party's decꦆision, and he was among🐎 the seven MPs fielded in Rajasthan.
“This is not 𝔉a new strategy. Wherever a worker can win (party fields that person), the party has🌜 therefore sent me here,” he said.
Asked if a Meen꧑a could be the CM, he asserted that in the BJP, chief ministers are not made on the basis of caste.
“For me, a person who has grown up in shakhas, 🍨it is not abou🧸t working for yourself but for the society and the country. The objective of our path is not a post, but to strengthen the country,” he said.
On whether he was among the CM probables of the BJP, Meena s🎶aid, “I am 🍸out of the list. I am 72 and on the verge of retiring.”
Asked if former chief minister Vasudhara Raje was the frontrunner to be the CM if the BJP wins, Meena said, “I cannot say, it is the parliamentary board that decides or the opinion of MLAs is taken and that time has n💙ot come.”
“I don't think the party is fighting the polls with any person in mind, there is just one face which is of Narendra ꦫModi,” he asserted.
Meena, known by monikers such as “Doctor Sahab” and “Baba,” was first elected to the Assembly fr💙o✱m Mahwa in Dausa district in 1985 on a BJP ticket.
Meena was a Cabinet minister in the Rಌaje government between 2003 and 2008. He left the BJP in 2008 over "differences" with her.
In March 2018, he returned to the BJP and the party then sent him to the🦄 Rajya Sabha.
In recent times, Meena has been consistently holding press conferences and making 'revelations' about issues such as governm🃏ent recruitment examination question paper leaks, which the BJP leader claims to have happened with the complicity of Congress leaders.
Rajasthan goes to polls on November 25 and the resul🐬ts will be decla꧅red on December 3.
