Rajasthan minister sacked hours after he questioned CM Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Friday sacked his minister of state Rajendra Gudha. The Raj Bhavan confirmed the development, wherein Rajasthan governor accepted with immediate effect the recommendation of CM Ashok Gehlot to sack state minister Rajendra Singh Gudha.

The development comes only hours after Gudha raised question against the Ashok Gehlot led state government. Gudha had said, "It is true and should be accepted that we have failed in women's safety. Instead of Manipur, we should look within ourselves that atrocities on women have increased in Rajasthan."

Gudha held charge as Minister of State for Sainik Kalyan (Independent Charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Jodhpur Police recovered four charred bodies from a hut at Cherai village in Ramnagar gram panchayat of Jodhpur.

Coming down heavily on the Congress government over the recovery of the charred bodies, the BJP demanded the resignation of CM Gehlot.

"This is a shameful incident. The chief minister should step down owning moral responsibility for the incident, which took place in his home district. Crimes across Rajasthan have been on the rise in the recent past," BJP leader CP Joshi said.

The development also follows Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)'s criticism of the Congress government in Rajasthan in ‘failing’ to protect women in the poll-bound state. 

Congress-ruled Rajasthan has become a "completely failed state" with at least 17-18 rape cases being registered every day, the BJP claimed on Friday and asked Rahul Gandhi when he will visit the state to see the "total collapse" of law and order.

Raising the issue of women's safety in Rajasthan, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also listed alleged incidents of atrocities against Dalits and hit out at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge -- a leader from the community -- for not taking cognisance of such cases.

"As per media reports, every day 17 to 18 cases of rape and 5 to 7 cases of murder are registered in Rajasthan … Extortion of businessmen is happening every day. Rajasthan is (in) number one position when it comes to crimes against women, crimes against children and atrocities on Dalits," Shekhawat said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

The BJP's reaction comes amid attacks from the opposition on the situation in Manipur after a 4 May video showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a group of men from the other side surfaced on Wednesday.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address a public meeting in Rajasthan's Banswara district on 9 August, the Congress' state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said on Friday.