BJP legislators have come to the defence of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot following his statements about Greenfield Airport and his criticisms of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in this matter.
The legislators have labelled Gehlot’s statements as false and stated that making such baseless allegations against a person who has held the position of Chief Minister three times does not befit his stature. The fact remains that the state government has cleared the way by providing land without any encumbrances for the Greenfield Airport.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while speaking in Kota about the developments related to the construction of the Greenfield Airport, had held Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla responsible and urged him to take the initiative with the central government for its construction. He even went on to say that if the airport is completed, Congress may not receive credit for it, which is why the Lok Sabha Speaker is creating obstacles.
Kota South MLA Sandeep Sharma said, “The construction of the airport is the responsibility of the central government, but it is the duty of the state government to provide land without any encumbrances. The state government removes any obstacles on the designated land. Examples of this can be seen in Kishangarh and Jhalawar. Gehlot has not provided a single example in the country where the central government has deposited money for land without encumbrances. Gehlot is falsely alleging to divert attention from the real issue.”
Ladpura MLA Kalpana Devi stated that Gehlot is asking the Lok Sabha Speaker to take responsibility. She said, “In reality, the Chief Minister has given in to the demands for the Kota Airport. The State Aviation Department has issued orders for the disbursement of funds for the diversion of forest land and the shifting of power grid lines from various departments after discussions with the Finance Department. If the central government cannot deposit the required amount, they should inform us, and we will ensure the construction of the airport. The Chief Minister should have thought that Birla is currently in a high constitutional position. Despite his extensive political experience, he has not maintained decorum in his words.”
Ramganjmandi MLA Madan Dilawar said that it is inappropriate for someone who has been Chief Minister three times to make such public false allegations. “Gehlot is talking about creating obstacles for the central government, whereas, in reality, the biggest obstacle to the Kota Airport is his own Cabinet Minister Shanti Dhariwal. He is not allowing the required 106 crores to be deposited for the airport. Today, Dhariwal himself exposed Ashok Gehlot’s falsehoods. Gehlot should have considered that Birla is currently holding a high constitutional position. Despite his long political experience, he did not maintain the dignity of his words,” he added.
