Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot attacks MP govt, says no right to demolish homes without probe
Jaipur, Apr 14: Targeting the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh over demolition of homes of alleged rioters, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said nobody had the right to do so without an investigation and urged people not to tolerate those who act against the Constitution.
Speaking at an event on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, Gehlot said "if rulers run bulldozers, where will the country's Constitution be."
His comments came a day after the Congress accused the ruling BJP in MP of "sponsoring" the recent communal violence in parts of that state during Ram Navami and alleged that houses of riot accused were razed without due legal process.
Gehlot also hit out at BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for trying to visit violence-hit Karauli town in Rajasthan on Wednesday and said "the BJP people work to ignite fire".
Surya had compared Gehlot to Aurangzeb, and accused the Congress the "modern-day Muslim League" of committing atrocities on Hindus after being stopped near Mahua on the Jaipur-Agra highway.
Gehlot said no untoward incident happened in Rajasthan on Ram Navami.
"There were riots in many other states and now bulldozers are being run. Where did this disease of running bulldozers come from? If the rulers run bulldozers, where will Ambedkar's rule be, where will his Constitution be."
Without naming any incident, Gehlot said, "Who raised the slogans and who instigated the riots is not known. The police made a list and went with bulldozers and started demolishing the houses. The poor people were crying when their houses were demolished."
"What kind of rule is this? The BJP is talking about arrest of innocent people in Karauli. In the eyes of the police they are accused. So, should our government go and run bulldozers as well."
Over 30 people were injured in the violence on April 2 after a bike rally being carried out to mark Hindu new year was pelted with stones in Karauli.
Gehlot said, "The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh is getting very happy. These people have become arrogant after they won the election in Uttar Pradesh in the name of bulldozer."
Later Gehlot told reporters, "After the Karauli incident, we held a meeting with police officers. We told the officers that there should not be any another such incident. Not a single untoward incident took place in Rajasthan on Ram Navami, whereas in many states, "riots broke out and now their houses are being demolished".
"Without any investigation, without being found guilty, you go and demolish someone's house. Even the chief minister and the prime minister do not have this right," Gehlot said."
Gehlot said the law and the Constitution are being shredded in the country and democracy is in danger.
"For what purpose should Tejasvi Surya come here? Whatever happened in Karauli was a very unfortunate incident and we all have condemned it. During that time as well, we had said these people do the work of setting fire. Since then, these people are continuously raising the Karauli issue," Gehlot told reporters.
The Rajasthan chief minister said the rule of law should remain whether it is Congress, BJP or any other other party is in power.
"They should act to protect Constitution and the law," he said, adding that the true tribute to Ambedkar will be to protect the law and follow the Constitution.
"What can be a greater sin than this that they take oath and work against the Constitution," Gehlot said.
Gehlot said, "These people are shredding the law and the Constitution and the democracy is in danger".
The chief minister said the people of the country, especially the youth, will have to understand in which direction this country is going or else they will suffer in the coming times.
"They talk about Ambedkar. They never believed in Ambedkar's life, not did they accept him. They are making a statue of Sardar Patel, who banned RSS.
"These people are adopting different tactics to do politics and win elections. If the people of the country do not understand their tactics, then one day everyone will have to pay the price."
Gehlot paid homage to Ambedkar on his birth anniversary by garlanding his statue at Ambedkar Circle here.
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Raj Thackeray questions need for NEET, demands Pradhan’s resignation
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Thursday questioned the need for NEET-UG and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi seek the resignation of Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
Thackeray's demand comes amid massive protests over the cancellation of the examination following allegations of paper leak.
The MNS chief said the government is so “obsessed” with bringing everything under a centralised authority that it appears to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into “disarray”.
In a post on X, Thackeray said that for several years now, a single individual (Pradhan) has remained entrenched in the position of Union education minister. Despite numerous “irregularities” and “scandals” within the NEET framework during his tenure, this “gentleman” continues to occupy the post, he said.
“One wonders: has he been rewarded with this continued tenure because he is so zealously pursuing the agenda of imposing the Hindi language across the entire nation? I earnestly appeal to the Prime Minister: please demand the immediate resignation of this Minister of yours, who has repeatedly toyed with the lives and future of 22 lakh students,” Thackeray said.
The National Testing Agency on Tuesday cancelled the NEET (UG) 2026 exam held on May 3 amid allegations of paper leak, with the government asking the CBI to carry out a comprehensive inquiry into the “irregularities”. The examination for students seeking admission to undergraduate courses in medical colleges will now be held afresh on dates to be notified separately.
Thackeray said the Centre continues its tradition of creating “chaos” in every matter and holding the public to ransom. The “NEET paper leak” has proved this once again, he said.
Thackeray sought to know what the Centre did when it found out the alleged malpractice. It merely cancelled the examination and ordered a CBI inquiry, he said.
In 2024, a CBI inquiry was ordered in a similar case, but nothing substantial was achieved through it, he said.
The government projects an air of having fulfilled its duty in all of this. But what about the lives of 22 lakh students and their families, who have been left hanging in the balance, he asked.
Thackeray said fundamentally, there was no need to “impose” NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test)-UG back in 2016.
“However, this government’s obsession with bringing everything under a single, centralised authority is so intense that, to them, it seems to make no difference if the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are thrown into disarray,” he said.
The MNS chief also asked ministers within the Maharashtra government to show some “spine” and join voices with those of the southern states and oppose this system.
Thackeray said leaders from the southern states have voiced their opposition in much the same way as he. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay has also demanded the cancellation of NEET. The reason for this is that the five southern states, combined with Maharashtra, collectively possess over 350 medical colleges, whereas the large states in the north have only 180 medical colleges, he said.
Consequently, this persistent push that began in 2016 is essentially an attempt to facilitate the “entry of students from the north into medical colleges in the south”, alleged Thackeray. To ensure this, the largest network of coaching classes has been established in the northern states, he claimed.
