Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday targeted Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over the “red diary” controversy, which a sacked Cabinet colleague of Mr. Gehlot’s has alleged contains unaccounted financial transactions of the present Congress regime in the State. Mr. Shah called for Mr. Gehlot’s resignation.
The “red diary” contained the details of “corruption and black deeds” of the Gehlot government, Mr. Shah said at a ‘Sahakar Kisan Sammelan’ in Gangapur. The rally, attended by farmers, was devoted to the cooperative sector. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also addressed the event.
Minister of State Rajendra Gudha, who was dismissed by Mr. Gehlot, had on July 24 displayed a red diary in the State Assembly, claiming it had details of questionable transactions. Mr. Shah said Mr. Gehlot was scared of the diary because its contents exposed corruption worth crores of rupees. “On this issue alone, he should resign and enter the election fray,” Mr. Shah said.
Mr. Shah, who is also the Union Minister of Cooperation, said that contrary to the Congress’s failure in the cooperative sector, the BJP government at the Centre had formed a separate Ministry and raised the agriculture budget by six times, besides launching several schemes for farmers.
The Home Minister praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for carrying out works that had not been done by any of the previous governments. Mr. Modi had given a new speed to the space mission, making India the first country to land on the south pole of the moon, Mr. Shah said.
Addressing the rally, Mr. Birla said the cooperative movement had made the country’s farmers self-reliant by providing them with loans at zero interest rate. It had helped improve the financial condition of farmers, labourers and the poor, he said.
