Jaipur/New Delhi: Sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha was suspended from the state assembly Monday after it saw unruly scenes – including pushing and shoving — over a “red diary”, which he claimed held details of financial irregularities damning the Ashok Gehlot government.
Along with Congress MLA Gudha, BJP’s Madan Dilawar was also suspended by Speaker C P Joshi for the remainder of the assembly’s term over the ruckus he created when the House later adopted a resolution over the ethnic violence in Manipur.
The House was adjourned thrice during the day, and at one point Gudha forced out by marshals.
BJP MLAs stormed the Well of the House repeatedly, brandishing their own “symbolic” red diaries. Gudha waved the diary he had brought to the House, and later said it was snatched from him.
In Delhi, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accused the Congress government in Rajasthan of “breaking all records of corruption”, claiming the political existence of many leaders will be under threat if the contents of the “red diary” spill out.
“Everybody in Rajasthan wants to know the mystery of the red diary. Why are the government and its head so nervous about it?” the BJP leader from Rajasthan told reporters.
Gudha was sacked Friday as a minister after he publicly criticised his own Congress government over law and order in the state.
Outside the House, the ex-minister claimed that the red diary was retrieved by him during a raid by the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department at the home of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation chairman Dharmendra Rathore.
He alleged that CM Gehlot had asked him to go to Rathore’s home to secure the diary during the raid.
Gudha claimed that the diary, allegedly written by Rathore, held details of the money given to MLAs and mentioned Ashok Gehlot as well as his son Vaibhav Gehlot.
When the ex-minister reached the assembly during Zero Hour BJP MLAs had already raised the issue of the diary, which Gudha had talked about a day earlier.
He moved towards Speaker Joshi’s chair waving a red diary. Joshi objected to his behaviour and asked him to meet him in his chamber.
Then, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal got up to speak, Gudha aggressively moved towards him and struck at his microphone.
Congress MLA Rafiq Khan immediately pushed Gudha. Minister Ramlal Jat and other Congress MLAs also moved forward and surrounded him. They were seen pushing and shoving him.
Marshals removed Gudha from the House, and the Speaker adjourned the assembly till 2 pm.
Gudha later claimed that he had gone up to Dhariwal only to say that he wanted to make a statement.
“But Congress MLAs pushed me to the ground and overpowered me. Some of them including Dhariwal kicked me and snatched the diary from me. However, some part of the diary is still left with me,” he told reporters.
Gudha said he will go among the people Tuesday and reveal the diary’s “secrets”.
When asked about the contents, he claimed, “The diary is written by Dharmendra Rathore. It has the name of Ashok Gehlot and his son. It has details of financial transactions — the money given to the MLAs. The money was Rs 2-5 crore, not in lakhs.”
He said narco tests should be conducted on the MLAs. “I am also ready for a narco test. Rapists who are in jail and those who are sitting in the House, there is no difference between them.”
Gudha and Dilawar were suspended over “unruly behaviour” after the House adopted a motion on this by Dhariwal.
Dhariwal said Gudha tried to manhandle him and a “big incident” could have happened had the marshals not come to his rescue. He called Gudha’s behaviour “very shameful and unparliamentary”.
On Dilawar, Dhariwal said, he had advanced towards him and had a plan to attack him.
PTI
