Rajasthan News: Ashok Gehlot govt suspends Jaipur Mayor after husband caught taking bribes

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot led government on Saturday night issued a suspension order against the mayor of Jaipur Heritage Municipal Corporation Munesh Gurjar. The step comes following her husband's arrest in a bribery case related to the issuance of land deeds. 

Gurjar has termed the arrest as a ‘political conspiracy’ against her and her family. 

Notably the Jaipur Heritage Municipal Corporation has a Congress board. 

According to previous media reports, Munesh Gurjar's husband Sushil Gurjar along with two others- Narayan Singh and Anil Dubey -- were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on Friday night for allegedly taking a bribe of ₹2 lakh in lieu of issuing a land lease.

A search conducted by investigative agencies led them to Gurjar couple's residence where they retrieved ₹40 Lakh in cash and the file of the lease. Also, ₹8 lakh cash was recovered from Narayan Singh's house, officials said.

In the suspension order, Local Self Government Department Director and Special Secretary Hridesh Kumar Sharma said the mayor is suspended from her post till the investigation completes as her prima facie involvement in the case is suspected.

Talking to reporters, Mayor Munesh Gurjar said, "It is a political conspiracy against me and my family. Those who have done conspiracy will be trapped one or other day. I have full faith in judiciary."

State Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, who met Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot late Saturday night and also on Sunday, "This decision of the Rajasthan government is a welcome step. Any person who commits corruption, similar strict action should be taken against him.

"Both of them (the mayor and her husband) did not think about the image of the party and its leader. There can be no greater sin," he said. "I want the recording done by the ACB to be made public. So that the general public also knows how these people were indulging in corruption."

"We made a Congress mayor for the welfare of the people not for corruption and theft," he said.

Adarsh Nagar Congress MLA Rafiq Khan said the Rajasthan government is working on the policy of zero tolerance for corruption. “Within 24 hours, the government has suspended the mayor.”

The step pertaining to zero tolerance for the Congress party and Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan comes at a time when Rajasthan cabinet has been marred by a sacked Congress leader Rajendra Gudha threatening to reveal ‘details of corruption’ by the Rajasthan CM and his son. 

Gudha has been sacked from the state cabinet only hours after he criticised his own government for the increasing cases of crime against women in Rajasthan. Notably, these ‘issues’ seem to hve cropped up right before the scheduled Rajasthan polls that would serve as a litmus test for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition bloc INDIA for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.