Gehlot hits out at BJP on Kataria issue

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Thursday hit out at the BJP, which has called the CBI case against its leader Gulabchand Kataria politically motivated, saying that the party has double standards.

"When CBI launches an investigation into a Congress leader they (the BJP) always demand their resignation, and if the agency tries to investigate a case against a BJP leader, they claim that it is being done at the behest of the Congress," said Gehlot while talking to media here.

A Mumbai court Tuesday had issued summons ordering Kataria, the leader of opposition and three others to appear before it June 4 in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged stated shootout case.

Besides Kataria, the others summoned include Andhra Pradesh IPS officer N. Balasubramaniam, police inspector Shrinivas Rao, and R.K. Marbles director Vimal Patni.

Gehlot said that CBI is an autonomous body and it is good for the country if it remains so.

He said that BJP in the state is taking an extreme step by calling for Rajasthan Bandh in support of Kataria on May 18.

"It is being done only garner sympathy from the public," he said. "It should not have been done and on the contrary, it would have been better if BJP had in one line said that the law will take its own course", he said.

"In fake Dara Singh 'encounter' case too the BJP had blamed Congress for trapping a BJP leader in it," he said.

Dara Singh, a criminal, was gunned down by a team of state police's Special Operations Group (SOG) on the outskirts of Jaipur Oct 23, 2006.

"We so far have never opened our mouth on these issues as they are very sensitive issues and one should try to avoid speaking on these kind of issues so that investigations can be carried out properly and when the case reaches the court the truth prevails. As Kataria's case is sub-judice it is not proper for me to talk on this," Gehlot added.