On Monday, about 200 Income Tax (I-T) Department officials reportedly raided the house of Congress leader Dharamender Rathore over suspicious foreign transactions. As per the report, Rathore is considered as a ‘close aide’ of Ashok Gehlot.
Besides, the residence of one Rajiv Arora, a jewellery firm owner, has also been raided. Arora is also said to be close to the Rajasthan Chief Minister. The I-T officials conducted searches at several locations in Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jaipur, Kota, Mumbai, and Delhi. Reportedly, the raids were conducted following complaints of tax evasion. As per the report, the Rajasthan Police was not apprised of the raids by the Income Tax Department.
Sachin Pilot reaches Delhi with 25 MLAs
Speculations are rife that Rajasthan government may go the Madhya Pradesh way as the infighting between Congress leaders continue and Sachin Pilot reached Delhi on Saturday along with 20-25 Congress and independent MLAs. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had called for a meeting of Cabinet Ministers at his residence and asked all Congress MLAs to write a letter in his support. Following the 2018 Rajasthan Assembly elections, a power tussle ensued between Congress old guard Ashok Gehlot and youth leader Sachin pilot for the coveted post of the Chief Minister. Eventually, Gehlot was made the CM, and Pilot was sidelined. The divide between the two factions, within the State government, seemed to have widened over time.
Reports are also emerging claiming that Sachin Pilot may meet the BJP top brass soon to join the party. Earlier, former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was sidelined in an equal manner by the Congress party which preferred Kamal Nath as the CM had left the grand old party to Join the BJP. The Kamal Nath government had fallen, BJP’s Shivraj Sing Chouhan had become CM, and Scindia was given a Rajya Sabha nomination.
Gehlot accuses BJP of horse-trading
Accusing the BJP of indulging in horse-trading, Gehlot said, “I have tried to take everyone aboard in this fight against the Coronavirus. However, BJP leaders have crossed all levels of inhumanity. While we are proactively trying to save lives and means of livelihood, they are trying to destabilise the government.” Gehlot claimed that the State government was stable and would continue to remain so despite all efforts to the contrary allegedly made by leaders such as Satish Poonia, Rajendra Rathore, and Gulab Chand Kataria. He further alleged that efforts are being made to create a political crisis in Rajasthan, as was witnessed in Madhya Pradesh.
