New Delhi, June 22: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Monday asserted that he will take any position that will be offered to him by the party high command and he would not ask for any post.
Gehlot, made the remarks during his visit to Jodhpur where he spoke to the media.
While responding to a question of he wishes to continue in Rajasthan or wants to hear to Delhi, the Congress leader said that I have said this before, and I will repeat it today: “‘Main thansu door nahin’ (I am never far from you). Whether I am in London, Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, or Jalore, I can never be away from the people of Rajasthan.
“Wherever I am, serving the people of Rajasthan will always remain my highest duty and responsibility,” he said.
Gehlot said that the people of Rajasthan have made him a Member of Parliament five times, MLA six times, a Union Minister, and entrusted him with the responsibility of serving as Chief Minister three times.
“Becoming Chief Minister three times is no small achievement,” he stressed.
Hailing CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for their trust in him, Gehlot said that both have reposed their faith in him not only by making him Chief Minister three times, but also by giving him the opportunity to complete full five-year terms each time.
“In the political history of India, this is quite rare, as Chief Ministers are often replaced before completing their tenure. I have received everything from this party and from the people,” the former chief minister said.
The senior Congress leader said, “It is now my duty not to seek any position for myself. Whatever responsibility the party assigns me—whether it is in Jodhpur, Jalore, across Rajasthan, or an organisational role in Delhi—I will gladly accept it. But I will not ask for any post.”
He said that whatever decision the party high command takes will be acceptable to me.
“I am the most contented politician in the country. When the party has given me everything without my ever asking for it, and when I became a Union Minister as early as Indira Gandhi’s time, why should I now aspire for any position?” he asked.
He also said that today, both the country and the party face major challenges that we must understand deeply.
“Our sole objective is to strengthen the party at every level. Rahul Gandhi has clearly called upon Congress workers to immediately stand with Dalits, Adivasis, women, and minorities whenever they face injustice or oppression—to share their joys and sorrows, and, if necessary, launch major movements to secure their rights,” he said, adding, “In Rahul Gandhi’s message lies the very essence of our future politics and our commitment to public service.”
Meanwhile, Gehlot also slammed the BJP government while expressing concern after the health condition of eight women deteriorated after caesarean deliveries in Jodhpur.
He said that he has tweeted that he had just returned from a visit to Kota.
“The incident you’re describing is extremely serious. It happened first in Kota, where five women lost their lives. I’ve met those affected women myself-they’ve all developed kidney failure. Some are undergoing dialysis three times a week, others twice. May god help in the recovery of someone’s kidneys so they don’t have to face dialysis or a kidney transplant.
“A similar incident occurred in Bikaner too, but that was a separate case. And now today, I hear that eight women in Jodhpur have also developed severe infections. Even after such major incidents, the government is fast asleep,” he said.
Gehlot also said that he said this in Kota as well that the government should offer a guarantee.
“We have government hospitals where we made medicines, tests, and all surgeries free. I’m not just talking about India-nowhere in the world does Rs 25 lakh worth of treatment get provided for free like we demonstrated,” he said and cited that how in US the ‘Obamacare’ scheme was launched in Barack Obama’s name, but even they had to shut it down.
“Our scheme was a complete success,” he said.
He pointed out that but even after that, “these incidents keep happening”.
“From the government’s side, treatment there is just a formality-what good is that? Give a guarantee: for the women who have died, what compensation will you provide to their families? The women still writhing in pain in hospitals have their entire families gripped by worry. I’ve met all those families. Their husbands and brothers were saying, ‘Everyone’s watching now, but when we get discharged and go home, where will we find these doctors then? Who will care about us afterward?’
And in front of the doctors, I assured them to not worry, as these doctors will prioritize their care.
“My third point is this: If these affected women reach the point of needing kidney transplants, the government must take responsibility that the entire transplant will happen under government supervision and at government expense. Only then will I believe this government has the honesty to govern and the intent to deliver justice,” he said.
He also asked that now tell me, eight women facing the same problem-this has never happened in history here before.
“This clearly means there’s some serious infection somewhere that these people aren’t able to detect. If the FSL report is delayed, they should immediately send samples to places like Delhi, Mumbai, or Kolkata, where experts are available. This task must be prioritized, or more women will continue to suffer like this,” Gehlot said.
He also said that the women going to hospitals for delivery are now extremely anxious and terrified, fearing they might end up in the same situation.
“What an irony! Across Rajasthan, thousands of women are forced to go to hospitals for childbirth. Where else can they go? Private hospitals charge exorbitant fees. I’ve been consistently raising all these issues,” he added.
Asked about his reaction on Rajasthan’s Health Minister statement in the issue, Gehlot said whether it’s the Health Minister, the Education Minister, the Forest Minister, or the Chief Secretary, the situation is bizarre.
“Someone is hurling abuses at a police station, someone is berating a District Collector, and someone’s issuing absurd statements every day. Right now, there’s an extremely strange and concerning situation prevailing in the government,” the Congress leader added.