In the aftermath of his removal from the cabinet, former minister and Congress leader Rajendra Guda on Sunday came forward to voice his grievances against Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. Speaking out against the accusations of siding with the BJP, Guda asserted that his fight remains solely focused on addressing issues of crime and women's safety in the state.
His comments on a tragic incident in which a 20-year-old girl died as a result of a gruesome attack in his Vidhan Sabha area (constituency) triggered his dismissal. He emphasised the importance of prioritising state safety concerns alongside national issues. Guda called his dismissal an insult and stated that he should have been given the opportunity to resign rather than be fired.
Gudha, Minister of State for Sainik Kalyan (Independent Charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development, was fired just hours after questioning his own government in the assembly about crimes against women.
"My battle is with the BJP...I just mentioned an incident in which a 20-year-old girl died after her throat was slit in an area under my Vidhan Sabha. And he (Ashok Gehlot) accused me of joining the BJP. I just mentioned Manipur, but we also need to consider our own state. When it comes to crime against women, Rajasthan ranks first...He should have asked me to resign instead of firing me in such an insulting manner...," the former minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The BJP on Friday slammed CM Gehlot for telling the truth, demonstrating how serious the ruling Congress is about the issue of crimes against women.
In response to the minister's dismissal, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya stated in a Hindi tweet that Gehlot removed Gudha from his cabinet for telling "the truth."