This Gehlot termed as an ‘exercise’ to hijack ‘credit’ that delayed the refinery project.
Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday launched a broadside on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Vasundhara Raje for taking the credit for the Barmer refinery.
“I am disappointed with PM Modi,” said Gehlot, stating that the foundation of the crude oil refinery was already laid during his tenure.
The refinery proposal of the Gehlot government though was discarded by the current BJP government as ‘unsustainable’ and a new agreement was signed with the company for establishing refinery at a new venue and on new terms.
This Gehlot termed as an ‘exercise’ to hijack ‘credit’ that delayed the refinery project.
All these issues, he wrote about to the prime minister in a recent letter. “I had requested him to avoid laying foundation that had already been laid by the former prime minister. I wish he hadn’t, it’s unfortunate that he has accepted to be part of this show,” he said. Gehlot had written on the issue to prime minister Modi first in August last year and more recently on January 5.
Congress has been protesting against the new refinery foundation stone laying ceremony. However, with his first major press appearance in state after a long while the former CM added further momentum to the recent issue and state politics at large.
Meanwhile, on the issue of refinery raised by former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, BJP state president, in Alwar, said that Gehlot as chief minister signed the MOU that had put the state into loses. He said that the MoU signed by Gehlot was of Rs 56 thousand crore in which government would have incurred a loss of about Rs 1.57 lakh crore. As per the MoU, funds for the refinery were given without interest for 30 years. Parnami said that chief minister Raje has instead inked MoU of mere Rs 16,000 crore. Complimenting Raje, Parnami said that the MoU was done after taking the expert advice of technical committee and the state government has straight away saved Rs 40,000 crore.
On Temple and Talaq
Speaking to the media, Ashok Gehlot was cautious about the communal lines. Indicating of the new found interest of Congress in ‘soft hindutva’, Gehlot talked about Sonia Gandhi to have attended temples earlier. “Rahul Gandhi’s visit to temple was needlessly made a political issue by a scared BJP,” Gehlot said. On the question of triple talaq,Gehlot said that he agrees with the stand of Supreme Court on the issue.
To mark presence at by-polls
The former chief minister remains a prominent face of Congress in Rajasthan, despite his party duties in Gujarat. As state gears for by-polls this month and assembly polls will be held in last quarter of the year, Gehlot assured of his contribution to ensure victory of the party. “I will be personally present with the bypoll candidates when they will file nominations,” Gehlot said on Saturday.
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 "Ashok Gehlot")
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