Ashok Gehlot seeks clarification on residence allotted to him

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has sought clarification from the State government on the status of the official bungalow allotted to him in Civil Lines here in the light of the Supreme Court's judgment striking down an Uttar Pradesh legislation which allowed former CMs to retain government accommodation for their lifetime.

The apex court had on Monday held an amendment to the U.P. Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1981, as arbitrary and discriminatory and violating the concept of equality. The court said that once such persons demit public office, there was nothing to distinguish them from the common man.

In Rajasthan, the Ministers' Salaries (Amendment) Bill, 2017, passed in the Assembly on April 26, 2017, gave the former Chief Ministers the right to facilities equivalent to those enjoyed by the Cabinet Ministers as long as they lived.

“Appropriate decision”

Mr. Gehlot, who is AICC general secretary and an MLA from the Sardarpura constituency of Jodhpur, has asked the General Administration Department to review the provisions in force in the State and take an “appropriate decision” or formulate a policy on the subject. He has also sought a decision in respect of the residence allotted to him.