In the midst of the escalating controversy surrounding the dismissal of minister Rajendra Singh Gudha hours after his 'women safety remarks,' Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday that the state is progressive and that the matter is internal and will be discussed within the party. He further accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring violence-torn Manipur during his visits to other poll-bound states. Gehlot was surprised that the Prime Minister had not visited Manipur despite the fact that it was under his government's rule.
He questioned what Modi's response would have been if Manipur had a Congress government. Gehlot also criticised PM Modi for mentioning incidents in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while commenting on the situation in Manipur, saying it hurt Rajasthan's feelings.
"The way Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh should take care of the law and order situation in their respective states has hurt Rajasthan's sentiments," Gehlot said. The Rajasthan Chief Minister also suggested that Prime Minister Modi convene a meeting to review the situation in Manipur.
"If PM Modi could not visit Manipur, he should have called a meeting and reviewed the situation in Manipur," he said.
This comes after PM Modi took note of recent sexual assaults on women in Manipur and urged all state chief ministers to tighten law and order, mentioning Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh during his address.
"This is a shameful incident for any society...who did it and who is responsible is another issue, but it has brought shame to our nation." I call on all chief ministers to strengthen law and order. "Whether it's Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, or Manipur...the issue of a woman's honour is above all politics," PM Modi said, speaking about the Manipur situation ahead of the Parliament's Monsoon session.
Earlier on Friday, a minister in Gehlot's cabinet was fired, just hours after he criticised his own government for recent violence against women in the election-bound state.
Rajendra Singh Gudha stated in his address to the state assembly, "It is true and should be accepted that we have failed in women's safety." Instead of focusing on Manipur, we should examine why atrocities against women have increased in Rajasthan".
In response to recent BJP leaders' statements, Gehlot stated, "The BJP in Rajasthan has no issue, which is why they keep repeating the same issues. They are lying about NCRB figures, but no one in the state believes them," he said in a press conference today.
When asked why Rajendra Singh Gudha was removed from the Rajasthan cabinet, CM Ashok Gehlot said, "This is an internal matter that we will discuss among ourselves".