JAIPUR: Rajasthan agriculture minister Kirori Lal Meena left BJP bristling Friday after handing the opposition some political ammo by accusing his own govt of snooping on him, including phone tapping, in retaliation for flagging suspected corruption in police recruitment.
A video of Meena’s speech at an event near Jaipur the previous day purportedly shows him slamming the BJP govt for allegedly putting him under surveillance “just like before”, alluding to the erstwhile Ashok Gehlot-led Congress govt.
“I raised several corruption-related issues, leading to the arrest of 50 SI recruits. When I demanded the cancellation of the 2021 recruitment exam, my concerns were ignored. Now, CID personnel have been stationed at every corner to keep an eye on me, and my phone is also being tapped,” he says in the video.
Congress latched onto the controversy, demanding CM Bhajan Lal Sharma’s resignation on grounds that home dept reports to him and subjecting a minister to phone tapping is an offence.
Meena’s absence from the assembly’s ongoing budget session fuelled talk of a rift in BJP, although minister of state for home Jawahar Singh Bedam contested the surveillance allegations.
Bedam kept mum when the opposition demanded to know if and when an inquiry would be instituted.
Parliamentary affairs minister Jogaram Patel attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to make light of the row by harking back to the phone-tapping allegations against previous Congress govt when former dy CM Sachin Pilot revolted against then CM Ashok Gehlot in July-Aug 2020.
The uproar in assembly led to multiple adjournments as opposition MLAs refused to let go of the opportunity to target treasury benches each time the House reassembled. On Feb 3, parliamentary affairs minister Patel informed the assembly that Meena had excused himself from the session, citing a health issue.
Congress MLAs said the cabinet minister had fallen out with BJP brass, leading him to excuse himself from assembly session. Meena’s office clarified that he wasn’t unwell and had formally communicated the reason for his absence to the party.
Late Friday, Patel convened a presser on the assembly premises to dispel what he termed “rumours” about Meena’s phone being tapped by the govt. “The minister has already clarified in the assembly that no phone tapping has taken place. I will meet my cabinet colleague (Meena) soon to hear his grievances, if any,” he said.
A party functionary admitted that Meena’s allegation was “yet another embarrassment for the state govt”.
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