Union Home Minister Amit Shah has demanded that Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot should quit over corruption charges outlined in a so-called "red diary."
At a 'Sahakar Kisan Sammelan' in Gangapur City, Rajasthan, Shah blasted Gehlot and his Congress-led state administration for allegedly failing to support farmers.
He compared this with the BJP-led central government's attempts to improve the agricultural sector, noting that the central government has boosted the agriculture budget sixfold and created a separate ministry for cooperatives.
Amit Shah stressed that while demonstrators at the ceremony may yell anti-Ghlot slogans, this does not clear Gehlot of the claims.
He urged Gehlot to quit if he had any "shame left," referring to the contentious 'red diary.'
The diary is alleged to contain proof of corrupt practices, including financial transactions, connected to the Rajasthan state administration led by Gehlot.
The 'red diary' first came to public attention after former Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha said it was recovered from Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore's home during an income tax raid in July 2020.
Gudha said that the raid was ordered by Gehlot and that the diary contained information concerning Gehlot's own financial transactions.
Shah exploited the situation to further attack Gehlot and his government, declaring, "Gehlot is now terrified of the color red."
Although the diary is crimson, it includes dark deeds of corruption worth millions of rupees. Rajasthan Assembly elections are scheduled for later this year, setting the atmosphere for a contentious political clash.
Amit Shah said that the BJP-led national government had considerably improved farmers' livelihoods through different programs and initiatives.
He cited numbers, claiming that the Congress government had an agriculture budget of Rs 22,000 crore, which the Narendra Modi government increased to Rs 1,25,000 crore in nine years.
Shah, who also holds the Cooperation portfolio, concluded that the BJP government has answered farmers' long-standing requests by establishing a specialist ministry for cooperative organizations.
He described the decision as exemplifying the government's commitment to agricultural and cooperative development.