Page 2 - Ashok Gehlot

Maharashtra Assembly polls: Gehlot, Baghel among Congress' poll observers

Maharashtra elections: The Congress has named former Union Minister Mukul Wasnik and AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande as state election senior coordinators

Gehlot's ex-OSD blames him for phone tapping during 2020 political crisis

In a development that could land former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot in trouble, his ex-OSD Lokesh Sharma has held him responsible for phone tapping during the political crisis in the state in 2020. He said Gehlot should be interrogated in this regard. Delhi Police questioned Sharma on Wednesday in connection with the phone-tapping case lodged on a complaint by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. After the questioning, Sharma said he submitted a seven-page written statement, describing the sequence of events on July 16, 2020, when he got a pen drive containing call recordings from the then CM for circulating them to the media. He said Gehlot could tell how he got the call recordings and whether the call interceptions were done legally or not. Sharma's claim this time has marked a shift from his previous stand that he had got three audio clips from social media and forwarded those to media houses. Sharma was called for questioning at Delhi Police's Crime Branch offic

Six-time MLA Suryakanta Vyas dies at 87; former Raj CM Gehlot pays tribute

Suryakanta Vyas, a six-time BJP MLA from Sursagar and old Jodhpur seats, passed away on Wednesday morning. She was not feeling well for a long time and was admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Hospital

Crimes against tribals, Dalits increased under BJP govt in Raj, says Gehlot

Crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes increased rapidly after the BJP assumed power in Rajasthan, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Monday. He also demanded that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma himself take cognisance and ensure the safety of Dalits and tribals. Sharing a news report of a crime in Jodhpur's Shergarh, Gehlot said in a post on X, "During our government in Rajasthan, prompt action was taken on crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the police always stood firmly with the victim. Crimes against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes increased rapidly in the state since the change of government." "Crimes against Dalits and tribals have increased. The crime percentage, which was 32.7 per cent in January 2024, rose to 33.7 per cent in February, 34.1 per cent in March, 19.5 per cent in April, 62.5 per cent in May and 53.37 per cent in June," he said in Hindi. A 40-year-old man was allegedly thrashed by a group of people in Shergarh

NEET 'irregularities' must be probed, says Ex Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday demanded a probe into the alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance exam. Several aspirants of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) have alleged inflation of marks which led to a record 67 candidates bagging the top rank, including six from the same exam centre. The National Testing Agency (NTA), however, denied any irregularities and said the changes made in the NCERT textbooks and grace marks for losing time at the examination centres are some of the reasons behind the students scoring higher marks. "Candidates have expressed apprehensions of irregularities regarding the NEET exam and its result wherein several candidates from the same centre got full marks, and candidates with close roll numbers topped, " he said on X. "Many such aspects are surfacing which increases the apprehensions of irregularities in the examination," he said. Gehlot said the matter concerns the future of lakhs of students and th

Congress looted Rajasthan; Gehlot, Dotasra would be jailed soon: Minister

Rajasthan minister Madan Dilawar on Wednesday accused the previous Congress government of making crores of rupees by leaking exam papers and asserted that former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra would soon go to jail for it. In a video statement, Dilawar, the state's education minister, said the Congress leaders were trained in corruption and ever since the BJP came to power in Rajasthan, they are worried about where to hide their ill-gotten wealth. "Congress leaders have indulged in loot. They sold (exam) papers and earned crores of rupees. Now they are worried about where to keep the money because the SOG and other investigating agencies are doing their work," Dilawar said. "Ashok Gehlot sahab and Govind Singh Dotasra sahab you are about to go to Tihar Jail soon where you will meet (Delhi CM Arvind) Kejriwal. Tell him that in Rajasthan you have committed so many bad deeds," he added. Dilawar said due to the Congress government's corruption in

LS polls: Congress to win seats in double digits in Rajasthan, says Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has claimed that the Congress is going to win parliamentary seats in double digits in his state and exuded confidence that an INDIA bloc government would be formed at the Centre as "winds of change" were blowing in the country. In an interview with PTI here, Gehlot also hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remark that the Congress will get fewer seats in the Lok Sabha polls than "the age of its shehzada", saying such "jumlebaazi" will not work as people have understood that the limit to the BJP's "lies" has been reached. "In the whole country, the message has gone that an INDIA bloc government is going to be formed. The first three phases (of the polls) have shown that this is the situation," the veteran Congress leader, who is here as the senior AICC observer for the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, said. Asked specifically about Rajasthan where polling was over in the first two phases of the polls for the 25 .

EC's reaction to Kharge's letter 'inappropriate, unwarranted', says Gehlot

The Election Commission's reaction to a letter by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to INDIA bloc partners expressing concern over delays in releasing voter turnout figures for the first two poll phases was "completely inappropriate and unwarranted", former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday. The commission on Friday, in a response to Kharge's letter, called it an attempt to push a biased narrative under the guise of seeking clarifications. In a post in Hindi on X, Gehlot said, "The language of the letter of the Election Commission, which came on the legitimate questions raised by @kharge ji, seems more like that of a political party than a constitutional institution. Instead of working with its responsibility, the Election Commission is seen standing with one party in these elections and that is creating doubts in the minds of the common people." He added that such a reaction is not good for the Election Commission's image. "It is surprising that the Election .

Cong appoints Baghel, Gehlot as AICC observers for Rae Bareli, Amethi

The Congress on Monday appointed former chief ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot as AICC senior observers for Rae Bareli and Amethi Parliamentary constituencies, respectively. Ending weeks of suspense, the Congress on Friday announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades, and Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, will fight from Amethi. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to spearhead the campaign in Rae Bareli and Amethi, and camp in these parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh from Monday to ensure the party's victory in the two high-profile seats. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal to appoint Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot as AICC senior observers for Rae Bareli and Amethi Parliamentary constituencies respectively, a statement issued by the party said. Priyanka Gandhi has already taken command of the ..

LS polls: The electoral litmus test for Rajasthan's CM Bhajan Lal Sharma

With opposition branding Sharma as 'Parchi CM', party stalwarts in the backseat. He has got lot to prove. With BJP sweeping last two elections, anything less than a perfect score would raise eyebrows

Promises made by BJP remained promises only: Gehlot on its LS manifesto

Ashok Gehlot also claimed that the BJP will be changing the Constitution once it comes to power and this has created a sense of tension and fear in the country

Congress indulged in corruption, did not carry out water works: Shekhawat

Union minister and BJP candidate Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has claimed that he got budget worth thousands of crores sanctioned by the Centre for water works in Rajasthan but the previous Congress government in the state failed to utilise it. While trashing Congress candidate Karan Singh Uchiyarda's reported remarks that he could not get water for the region despite being the Jal Shakti minister, the BJP leader said he was saddened by the endorsement of the same by BJP workers. "I allocated thousands of crores of budget to the Rajasthan government for water, but if the government didn't work, what can I do? Even the Central Government has its limitations; water is a state government matter, and it was their responsibility to work on it, but they didn't and indulged in corruption", he said. Addressing a rally in Ajasar village in Pokhran on Saturday, Shekhawat said his own people were throwing mud on his face. "Congress candidate is saying that despite being the Minister of Water, ...

Sachin Pilot comes out in support of Ashok Gehlot's son ahead of LS polls

Having buried the hatchet with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader Sachin Pilot says moving on was in the best interest of the party and stressed he would "100 per cent" campaign for his senior colleague's son Vaibhav who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Jalore. In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters here, the Congress general secretary said a redux of the 2004 election when the party won the polls despite the India Shining campaign of the NDA is very much on the cards. "Repeat of 2004 is very much possible given the circumstances, given the unrest among most people. What you don't see in the media is the real sentiment on the ground. This politics of jumlas and overconfidence (by the BJP) has its limits," Pilot said earlier this week. Asked how he has been able to shake off his past differences with Gehlot and the former Rajasthan CM's 'nikamma-nakara' jibe at him in 2020, Pilot said, "I saw no advantage in replying in t

Congress' CEC finalises about 40 more candidates for LS elections

Top Congress leadership on Monday discussed over 60 seats in five states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Assam and finalised the names of about 40 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Sources said the party has decided to field former chief minister Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath once again from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara and Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav from Jalore in Rajasthan. Speculation was rife about both Kamal Nath and his son Nakul switching over to the BJP ahead of the polls. Both Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot are unlikely to contest, with the former's son entering the poll fray and the latter having responsibility of Chhattisgarh as AICC general secretary, the sources added. The Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC), chaired by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, met at the party headquarters to finalise candidates, days after the party released its first list of 39 candidates for the polls. Among the seats that were discussed at the meeting ..

Ex-Raj CM Ashok Gehlot's elder sister Vimla Devi Kachhawa passes away

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's elder sister Vimla Devi Kachhawa died in Jodhpur on Tuesday at the age of 93. In a post on X, the Congress leader said, "The demise of elder sister Vimla Devi Kachhawa has left a void in me which can never be filled." "Baiji was like a mother to me. Her absence will always be felt in my life. In her 93 years of life, she gave immense love and blessings to everyone. I pray that God grants her a place at His feet," Gehlot added. The Congress' Rajasthan unit president Govind Singh Dotasra, party leader Sachin Pilot, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, and the BJP's state unit president C P Joshi expressed grief over the death. Raje wrote on X, "Received the sad news of the demise of Vimla Devi ji, sister of former chief minister Ashok Gehlot ji. I pray to God to give peace to the soul and give strength to the bereaved family to bear this loss." Dotasra said, "I have received the sad news of the demise of Vimla Devi ji, elder sister of

Rajasthan being run by Centre through remote control, says ex-CM Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday accused the Centre of governing the state through remote control and undermining the authority of the elected chief minister. The state doesn't seem to have a government for the last three months, he alleged. He said that ministers are not able to appoint their private secretaries according to their wish and the Centre is implementing the Gujarat model in Rajasthan. "It's been two-three months of the BJP government in the state. There is a discussion in every household as to why there is no governance. I believe that only the chief minister cannot be blamed for it. It is a remote-controlled government which is against the spirit of democracy," Gehlot told reporters after moving into the new government bungalow from the official CM's residence, now allotted to the new incumbent. He added, "An elected Chief Minister has authority, and the government is run by that authority and it provides good governance. They (Centre) have ...

Ashok Gehlot only did work of delaying schemes, says Gajendra Shekhawat

Shekhawat said that in the year 2019, only 16 percent of the rural homes in the country had access to water through pipelines and 19 crore 40 lakh families in the country live in rural areas

Rajasthan people will never forget Yuvraj of Congress: CM attacks Rahul

"On one hand, Sonia Gandhi is busy worrying about Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot is busy worrying about Vaibhav Gehlot, they are not concerned about the people of the country and the state."

BJP govt cheating people of Rajasthan over ERCP, says Ashok Gehlot

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Sunday accused the BJP government in Rajasthan of creating confusion over the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project and cheating the people of the state while protecting the interests of Madhya Pradesh. A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Centre, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh -- which also has a BJP government -- last month for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the ERCP. "BJP is creating confusion over the ERCP. They are cheating the people of Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh's interests are being protected as dams are being built there and they are getting all the benefits," Gehlot told reporters in Dausa. The former chief minister of Rajasthan has also asked the Centre to give national project status to the ERCP. The ERCP, an ambitious drinking and irrigation water project, was announced by the BJP in the Rajasthan Budget 2017-18 for a permanent solution to the problem of drinking and irrigation water in 13 districts of ..

Gehlot calls for immediate release of Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship funds

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded that the state government should release the amount to the youths selected under the Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship Scheme without any delay. He had also written a letter to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma in this regard. Gehlot said on X, "The Rajiv Gandhi Scholarship for Academic Excellence scheme, started by our government with the aim of providing free education to 500 children abroad, is also stuck in the new government. Due to this, children studying abroad are facing problems". He claimed that 346 students are not getting scholarship despite selection in the scheme. Gehlot said the students who came to meet him gave him this information. The Congress leader had written a letter to Chief Minister Sharma over the issue. Now again the students and their families have come together to say that even after more than a week has passed, they have not received the scholarship. "I would like to again request Chief Minister Bhajanl