Congress alleges political vendetta by Vasundhara Raje on FIR against Ashok Gehlot

NEW DELHI: Attacking Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Congress today accused her of "political vendetta" after an FIR was registered against former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, PCC chief Sachin Pilot and others in ambulance scam.

Party spokesperson Randip Surjewala said that while Congress leaders are ready to face any inquiry, "the probe should be carried out by an authority beyond the jurisdiction of the state government or by a sitting judge of a High Court".

The Rajasthan police had yesterday filed an FIR naming former Chief Minister Gehlot, former Union Minister Sachin Pilot and several others in an ambulance scam.

" Rajasthan government has started political vendetta against us. Our leaders are ready for any probe.... We respect Raje as a woman and a Chief Minister but if we look at her past statements against Gehlot and Sachin, this episode reeks of political vendetta," Surjewala said.

He at the same time said that leaders of Congress are ready to face any inquiry "whose foundation is not vendetta" and asked for a "fair probe" into the matter.

Rajasthan police had on Tuesday filed the FIR over allegations of financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 2.56 crore in operating '108' ambulance service during the previous Congress regime.

Former state health minister A A Khan, Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Minister P Chidambaram and Ravi Krishna, son of former Union Minister Vayalar Ravi, Sweta Mangal, then CEO of Ziqitza Healthcare, Shaffi Mather, former Economic Advisor to Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the Director of NRHM also figured in the FIR.

Reacting to the development, Gehlot had said such decisions (of awarding a tender) were not taken at the chief-ministerial level but Pilot dubbed the allegations defamatory. He described the action by the BJP government as malicious and motivated.