Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accuses the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of having connections to the killers of a Udaipur tailor. Gehlot claims that the BJP is inciting communal tensions before the upcoming legislative assembly election. The case is currently being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Shobhit Gupta reported
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has made a bold claim, stating that the killers of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal Teli are associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This accusation comes just days before the legislative assembly election in the state, where tensions between the ruling Congress party and the BJP are running high.
Speaking to reporters during a campaign trip to Jodhpur, Gehlot accused the BJP of deliberately stirring up communal tensions in order to gain political advantage. He also criticized the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for taking over the case instead of the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police, suggesting that the investigation would have reached a more conclusive outcome under the SOG.
Originally, the case was registered at Dhanmandi police station in Udaipur, but it was later transferred to the NIA for further investigation. Gehlot revealed that the accused individuals had been arrested by the police prior to the heinous crime, and BJP leaders had allegedly visited the police station to secure their release. This, according to Gehlot, indicates a connection between the culprits and the BJP.
The Chief Minister’s remarks were made in response to allegations made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who accused the Congress government in Rajasthan of playing “vote-bank politics” in the Kanhaiya Lal case. Modi claimed that the murder occurred due to the Congress government sympathizing with terrorists.
Gehlot dismissed Modi’s accusations, suggesting that the BJP was resorting to desperate tactics because they sensed defeat in the upcoming elections. He criticized the BJP for not highlighting the government’s achievements and instead focusing on creating unrest in order to gain political advantage.
The incident in question involves the brutal killing of Kanhaiya Lal, a tailor, at his shop in Udaipur’s Dhan Mandi police station area in June of last year. The perpetrators, Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad, recorded a video in which they admitted to the murder. The motive behind the attack was reportedly a controversial social media post that expressed support for suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, who had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Muhammad.
The beheading of the Udaipur tailor caused shockwaves throughout the country and sparked widespread public outrage. The upcoming elections in Rajasthan, scheduled for November 25, have become a platform for both the Congress and the BJP to engage in heated political rhetoric. The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 assembly election, winning 99 seats, while the BJP secured 73 seats in the 200-member House.
It is important to note that these details have been reported by news agency ANI and are subject to verification..