Farmers hapless in Rajasthan: Gehlot

Taking a jibe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who is on tour to Japan for wooing investors, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today said farmers who suffered crop damage due to rain havoc were getting "hapless".
"A delegation of senior officers is accompanying Chief Minister Raje on her seven day's tour to Japan, I ask what is tuk (logic) of it when farmers are making hue and cry on the crop loss in recently held rains and hailstorms in the state", Gehlot said in a statement here.
Undesirable weather causing hailstorm and rains were continuing intermittently in the state for the last forty days, farmers are counting each day for compensation and relief, Gehlot said.

The BJP government was not taking it seriously, he said, adding neither the crop assessment was being done properly nor the compensation to the farmers who lost their lives in the calamity.
As the Chief Secretary is with the CM tour, who will take decision in his absence, Gehlot questioned.
On illegal mining and opium trade, Gehlot alleged the businessmen were minting the money through all kinds of mafia in sand, mining, opium (doda-post), and royalty collection.

Mafia were encouraging open corruption, and the government was sleeping, he alleged.
Raje had left for Japan yesterday to woo investors for state's Resurgent Rajashan Meet likely to be held later this year.

In another release, PCC President Sachin Pilot claimed that the FCI was planning to distribute the "rotten" wheat to consumers which it left in open after buying from states' farmers.
Procured wheat was lying in open and being rotten due to intermittent rains occurring in the part of the state for the last couple of days, Pilot alleged.
FCI was unable to store the bought wheat in its warehouses and still keeping it under the sky which was facing western disturbances, he said.
The state government should stop such distribution to the public, he demanded.