Raj CM wants to finish my political character, says Union minister Shekhawat

Jaipur, Feb 20 (IANS) Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday hit back at the Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and said that there is a conspiracy to weaken him politically by assassinating his character and the Chief Minister was using the investigating agency as a tool.

Talking to the media, Shekhawat said that Sanjivani Credit Co-operative Society operates in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and many other states.

When the registration of the society was done, at that time there was a Congress government in Rajasthan and Delhi. The society also got the status of multi-state category in 2013, even at that time there was a Congress government in Delhi, the Union Minister added.

Levelling a serious allegation on the Congress, Shekhawat said that in 2018, the director of the Credit Co-operative Society and the main accused in the scam were trying their best to contest the elections from Pachpadra Assembly constituency on a Congress ticket.

He added that an FIR was registered against Sanjeevani Credit Co-operative Society on August 23, 2019 and the police working under the Rajasthan government investigated the case.

In this case, the first charge-sheet was filed on December 2019, the second on February 2020 and the third on February 7, 2023.

Shekhawat added: "Neither I nor any member of my family has been made an accused in these thousands of pages of charge-sheet. In such a situation, is the Chief Minister giving any signal to the police by lying publicly?"

He asked if the Chief Minister Gehlot was venting out the anger of his son's defeat?

Gehlot on Sunday attacked Shekhawat on being given Z-security.

"Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has taken Z security from the Central government. What was the need that he was given a Z security? If he was in danger from anyone, then he should have told us earlier in this regard, we would have provided him security. It seems that due to the fear of SOG arrest in this case, security has been provided to him."

Taking a dig at the Chief Minister, Shekhawat said: "Despite the court's order, he called me a fugitive, adding that I am not cooperating in the investigation. Gave me many nouns. Called me worthless, incompetent and even coward. He tried to give me all the nouns he had given to his party leader in Covid-19."

He added: "During the investigation of three-and-a-half to four years, the SOG did not accuse me, but the Chief Minister accused me in his three- and-a-half hour speech."

Shekhawat referred to the statement of Chief Minister Gehlot, in which the latter had talked about amending the law to get back the investors' money.

The Union Minister said that the Chief Minister does not require amendment in any kind of law. The Parliament of the country has passed a law in 2019 which only needs to be implemented.

In 2019, the Parliament passed the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act, 2019. After being passed in the Parliament, this law was implemented across the country.

As per this act, it has been ensured to bring back the money of the investors in the fraud done by the company, society, chit fund company etc.

Instructions have been given in the Act to inform the competent authority as soon as the FIR is registered in such cases. Many states of the country have appointed a competent authority but till now the Rajasthan government has not been able to do so.

In the Act, it has been said to get such cases investigated by the CBI.

The Union Minister said that if the Rajasthan government is serious about bringing back investors' money, it should immediately implement the law passed by the Parliament.