Ashok Gehlot tells Amit Shah to set his own house in order

Amit Shah/PTI

Rajasthan Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday countered BJP's criticism of the party not announcing the chief ministerial candidate by saying the ruling party should "first set its own house in order."

"He (BJP chief Amit Shah) should not forget that despite being the president, he failed to appoint the state BJP chief of his choice," said Gehlot, a former chief minister and Congress general secretary. "Shah wanted Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to head the state unit. But he had to bow to the wishes of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje," claimed Gehlot.

"Parties work for elections as a team. No chief ministerial candidate is declared before elections. Congress respects public sentiments as well as the sentiments of its MLAs," said Gehlot. Referring to Shah's remarks on Tuesday at public meetings, he said: "His language is rude...it is against the culture of Rajasthan, he said.

"Shah's speeches are so laudatory about Prime Minister Modi that the BJP expects these can help the Raje government in recapturing Rajasthan," said Gehlot, adding it looked as if Shah had no trust in Raje. The former chief minister said there has been a steep rise in corruption cases in sand mining, education and transport because of poor governance. Lashing out out at Raje, Gehlot said: "The Chief Minster loves to put up foundation stones. She was doing it all along her her Gaurav Yatra until the High Court intervened." He said Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Rajasthan on September 20.

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