Rajasthan health minister defends Vasundhara Raje, Sushma Swaraj over embezzlement charges

JAIPUR: Playing down Congress' demand for resignations of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Union Minister Sushma Swaraj over Lalitgate, state Health Minister RS Rathore said the party "neck deep in corruption" should avoid protests aimed at gaining cheap publicity.

"During former UPA government regime, there were a number of scams worth crores of rupees including 2G, Commonwealth, and Coalgate, and many of its minister were held up, now these congressmen are putting allegations on BJP", Rathore told mediapersons after speaking at an inauguration function of Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences in Sitapura area here.

BJP party and the government had categorically clarified on every allegation made in media by Congress leaders on chief minister Raje and her son Dushyant Singh, MP from Jhalawar, Rathore said.

He reiterated that there was no financial irregularity in Dushyant's company, it was all audited and verified by the Income Tax department.

After shameful defeat in Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in 2013 and 2014 respectively, Congress should do some introspection before making false, baseless and manipulated allegations on the BJP leaders, Rathore said.

Congress should better check allegations made against former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot for alleged money laundering instead of playing and gaining cheap publicity by way of protests and media statements, he said.