Health Minister Shankar Chaudhary
Suspecting a criminal conspiracy behind the attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s car in Banaskantha recently, Minister for Health Shankar Chaudhary in the Gujarat Assembly on Wednesday asserted that there was no BJP role in the incident. Chaudhary, the MLA from Vav constituency in Banaskantha district, said the kind of stone hurled at Rahul’s car was generally not found in the region and that it was found in the neighbouring Rajasthan. He was speaking in the House during a discussion on the recent floods in Banaskantha and Patan districts.
During the discussion, a reference was made by one of the Congress MLAs towards the attack on Rahul’s car, while raising the issue of law and order in the state.
Replying to this, first Revenue Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudas-ama said Rahul had refused to take the protected police vehicle.
Subsequently, Chaudhary participated in the discussion and said that BJP had nothing to do with the attack. Chaudhary said, “Only one stone was hurled at Rahul Gandhi. And such stones are not found in the region where the incident happened. Such stones are found in Rajasthan state.” He also questioned the conduct and the language used by the Congress leader before and after the incident. “And after the incident, in a brief address to public, he had said ‘Mera kaam ho gaya’,” the minister said.
The incident happened on August 5 when Rahul was on a visit to the flood-affected Dhanera and Kankrej talukas of Banaskantha district. One SPG man was injured in the incident.
Police have arrested one Jayesh Darji, reportedly general secretary of BJP’s youth wing in Dhanera, in connection with the incident. His name appeared in the complaint lodged by Congress leaders following the incident.
Discussion on the issue resulted in a verbal duel between Congress MLAs — around 20 of them were present — and members of the ruling BJP. Eventually, all the Congress MLAs were ordered to be evicted from the Assembly by Speaker Ramanlal Vora.
