Sachin Pilot Slams Ashok Gehlot Over Pulwama Widows Again; 'No Matter How Big A Man...'

Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday hit out at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot without naming him over the demands of widows of Pulwama martyrs. Pilot condemned the police action on the protesting women and asked on whose advice did they act. Asking the Chief Minister to fulill the demands of protesting women Sachin Pilot said, “No one should have so much ego, no matter how big a man he (Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot) is, he at least listen to the demands of the wives of Pulwama martyrs. Building a road, installing a statue, changing the name of a college is not a big issue, it is a small task.”

“The police officers did wrong to them, but on whose advice they did it? All these should be investigated and action should be taken in the matter. Everyone has been given the right to protest in the Constitution, this should not have happened,” he added. 

Sachin Pilot bats for widows of Pulwama martyrs 

Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on March 7 wrote to Ashok Gehlot and asked him to lend a sympathetic ear to the demands of the widows of Pulwama martyrs. Notably, Pilot met the protesting women on the same and extended his support to them. The widows of Pulwama martyrs have been protesting in Rajasthan over the last few days claiming the state government is yet to fulfill the promises made to martyrs' families. 

As per Sachin Pilot's letter, the protestors urged the Chief Minister to push for relaxation in the rules for giving government jobs to family members of martyrs and demanded an investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of the state police towards them. 

Gehlot turns down the demands of martyrs wives

Turning down the demands of Pulwama martyrs demands, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot explainded why his government cannot meet some of the demands of widows of of Pulwama martyrs. 

Issuing a statement, Gehlot said the widow of Hemraj Meena, who was martyred in the attack, wants a third statue to be installed despite two others already put up at the Government College, Sangod, and a park in Vinod Kalan, his native village.  

"Should we create such a difficult situation in front of the wives of martyrs because the rules made at present have been made on the basis of past experiences? How can it be justified to deny the rights of the children of martyrs and give jobs to other relatives? What will happen to the children of martyrs when they become adults," Gehlot asked.

Further attacking the BJP, Gehlot said, "Some BJP leaders are disrespecting the wives of the martyrs by using them to gain political mileage. This has never been the tradition of Rajasthan. I condemn it.”