Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday demanded Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s resignation over the “red diary” which, he alleged, contained details of corruption and “black deeds” of the state government.
Addressing a “Sehkar Kisan Sammelan” in Gangapur City in the poll-bound state, Shah said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government has raised the agriculture budget by six times and formed a separate ministry for cooperatives, whereas the Congress had done nothing for farmers.
Pointing to a few people who raised slogans during the event, the home minister said, “I want to tell Gehlot that you will achieve nothing by sending some people to shout slogans. If there is any shame left in him, he should resign over the ‘red diary’ issue and enter the election fray.”
Shah said, “Nowadays Gehlot saab is very afraid of the red colour. The colour of the diary is red, but black deeds are hidden in it. The red diary has details of multi-crore corruption.”
Concluding his address, Shah said, “Gehlot ji will get angry if there is any diary of red colour in the house .”
Last month, sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Singh Gudha had claimed that a red diary, which he had secured from the residence of Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore during an income tax raid in July 2020 on the directions of the chief minister, had details of Gehlot’s “illegal financial transactions”.
The Congress denied Gudha’s allegations. “There is no red diary,” claimed Gehlot, calling Gudha a “scapegoat” of the BJP.
Shah, who also holds the cooperative portfolio, said the BJP government at the Centre has done a lot for farmers and initiated several schemes for them. “During the Congress regime, the agriculture budget was ₹22,000 crore and the (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi government raised it by six times in nine years to ₹1,25,000 crore.”
Referring to the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, he said, “A few days ago, our Chandrayaan reached the south pole of the Moon waving the tricolor. In a way, new energy, new faith has been infused in the entire country. The secrets of the South Pole of the Moon remained a mystery. Our India has become the first country to reach the South Pole. It is a matter of pride for the entire country.”
Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla said the cooperative revolution in the country has worked to change the economy of farmers, poor, youth, labourers etc., and it is PM Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah that has worked to take this revolution to every state.
He said the farmers have been made self-reliant by providing loans at 0% interest rate.
Birla said that to take this revolution ahead, we have to establish food processing organisations in villages.
He said it is Modi who made cooperative department and targeted to uplift the people socially and economically. Whereas it is Shah who made the Gram Seva Sehkari Samitis self-reliant.
The Speaker asked the people to bring a government in power which supports transparency. “If you want to end corruption in cooperative and bring transparency, then bring such a government. Also, that provides loan at 0% interest rate at any amount,” he said.
