PM Modi's Barmer visit unfortunate, says Ashok Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has opposed the upcoming foundation laying ceremony of an oil refinery in Barmer by the prime minister saying it had already been performed four years ago.

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, Gehlot said former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation stone of the refinery in September 22, 2013.

"The prime minister's proposed visit on January 16 for the foundation laying ceremony is unfortunate," Gehlot said here today.

Re-laying of foundation stone was not a healthy tradition in a democratic set up where governments keep changing, he said in the letter.

Gehlot added that the project was initiated by the former Congress government led by him but Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje stalled several projects, including the refinery, after coming to power. "The project was stalled for four years without any argument or reason and she misled people. The CM should tender an apology to the public for this," he said.

Asked about the triple talaq bill, Gehlot said the Congress wanted some amendments to the bill so that Muslim women were not subjected to suffering.

Speaking about Congress president Rahul Gandhi's meeting with a Chinese delegation, the former CM said Rahul had given his reasons for the same and added that the prime minister should figure out why countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka were inclining toward China.