Rajasthan: Water Canons Used on BJP Workers Amid Protest Against Gehlot Govt Over Corruption Charges

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday held a massive protest against the Ashok Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan over the allegations of corruption and exam paper leaks. To stop the BJP leaders and workers from marching to gherao the secretariat in Jaipur, police used a water cannon to disperse them as some of the protestors broke the barricades and created chaotic scenes at the Statue Circle near the secretariat.

Rajasthan BJP leaders and workers began the march from the party’s state headquarters towards the secretariat after a public meeting. As they were stopped at the Statue Circle by police, BJP state president CP Joshi, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Rajendra Rathore, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Meena and other leaders held a symbolic dharna. After the dharna, BJP workers burnt an effigy as a mark of protest. Moments later, police used a water cannon to disperse them.

Joshi and the other leaders then courted arrest, following which they were taken away by police in a bus.

Meena said it was a symbolic demonstration in Jaipur and an agitation against the government would be held across the state in the days to come. BJP workers from Jaipur City participated in the march and demonstration.

Accusing Gehlot of graft, Meena said his party will expose “corrupt practices” of minister Shanti Dhariwal and scams related to mines and Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan. He claimed there was a scam of Rs 5,000 crore in the Department of Information and Technology (DoIT) but when the Anti-Corruption Bureau sought permission to probe, Gehlot denied.

“The BJP will expose a mines scam in the days to come. Also, a scam in Jal Jeevan Mission and corruption cases of UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal will be exposed,” Meena said, claiming that for the first time in the country, Rs 2.31 crore cash and gold were recovered from an almirah at a government building.

A DoIT joint director was arrested last month after the cash and the gold were found in the almirah in the basement of the Yojna Bhawan here. “Corruption is rampant under the Gehlot government. Sixteen competitive exams were held in one year in Rajasthan and the papers of all of them were leaked. Now, the Enforcement Directorate has come and started investigating, and therefore Gehlot is afraid,” Meena said.

The BJP leader alleged that after the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers- 21 paper leak case, the chairman of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education DP Jaroli was terminated by the government but the Special Operations Group, which probed the case, did not question him and even gave him a clean chit.

REET-21 was conducted by the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education.

Meena said ED has come “with full preparations” one year after the complaint of the REET paper leak case. He added that Gehlot should “take off the cloak of honesty”.

(with inputs from PTI)