Rajendra Singh Gudha has been sacked from Ashok Gehlot's cabinet (File/Facebook)
Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Saturday said that it is the right of the Chief Minister to remove or include MLAs into the cabinet, and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot did just that.
Reacting to the sacking of former minister Rajendra Singh Gudha from the state cabinet over his remarks on the rising number of crimes against women in the state, Mr Dotasra said, "Inclusion of a minister or their dismissal is up to a Chief Minister and he acted accordingly. It is the right of the Chief Minister."
The BJP is trying to divert attention from the viral video of Manipur horror by picking one or two incidents from the Congress-ruled states, he said.
"For 70 days, the PM was silent on the Manipur violence. Now since the elections are close, the BJP is trying to dilute the issue by mentioning incidents in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh," he said.
After being sacked from Mr Gehlot's cabinet, Rajendra Singh Gudha said that he was punished for speaking the truth.
"I always speak the truth. That is who I am. I follow my conscience. I got punished for speaking the truth," Rajendra Singh Gudha said.
"The sisters and daughters of the Udaipurwati Assembly constituency who have helped me win the elections, trusted me so that I could respect and protect them. But the way in which newspapers today are flooded with incidents of sexual harassment against our sisters and mothers shows that Rajasthan is number one in atrocities against women," he added.
Rajendra Singh Gudha said that even during the BJP rule in the state, the Congress, then in opposition, raised their voice against the kidnapping of children.
Earlier on Friday, the Rajasthan Governor dismissed Rajendra Singh Gudha following a recommendation from Ashok Gehlot over his remarks in the state assembly where he mentioned that crimes against women have increased in Rajasthan.
"It is true and should be accepted that we have failed to ensure women's safety. Instead of Manipur, we should look within ourselves - why atrocities on women have increased in Rajasthan," Mr Gudha said.
Earlier, the body of 19-year-old girl was found dumped in a well in the state. She was allegedly raped and then murdered. The incident had created an outrage in the state Assembly.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)