Jaipur: A four-member BJP delegation on Wednesday met Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and sought his intervention in fulfilling the demands of the widows of three CRPF jawans martyred in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. The delegation was led by Deputy Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore and included former minister Arun Chaturvedi and MLAs Ashok Lahoti and Ramlal Sharma.
Submitting a memorandum to Mishra, the delegation sought his intervention in the matter. Later, the governor wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and asked him to resolve the issue after considering the rules. "Today, after reaching Raj Bhavan, handed over a memorandum to His Excellency the Governor of Rajasthan, Kalraj Mishra, demanding his intervention regarding the fulfilment of the demands of the widows of martyred soldiers sitting on a 'dharna' from February 28, 2023," Rathore said in a tweet in Hindi.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who has been sitting on a 'dharna' with the martyrs' widows near former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot's residence, said the chief minister should meet them and take a positive stand on their demands instead of making unnecessary statements. Meena told reporters that both Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and Shakuntala Rawat -- two ministers in the Rajasthan government who met the protesters on Tuesday -- considered their demands justified and assured a solution.
The widows' demands include installing statues of the slain jawans, giving jobs to their relatives on compassionate grounds and construction of roads in their villages. It was expected that there would be an announcement from the government about accepting the demands. Instead, an unexpected statement arrived from the chief minister, Meena said.
He asked why two ministers came to meet the protesting widows if the chief minister was to raise questions over the demands. "Ignoring the widows of the martyrs in this way does not suit the dignity of the head of the government," Meena aid. Late on Tuesday, Gehlot said in a statement posted on Twitter, "Some BJP leaders are disrespecting the martyrs and taking political mileage. This has never been the tradition of Rajasthan. I condemn it."
"Should we create such a difficult situation in front of the wives of martyrs because the rules made at present have been made on the basis of past experiences. How can it be justified to deny the rights of the children of martyrs and give jobs to other relatives? What will happen to the children of martyrs when they become adults," he asked.
The chief minister added that he had also shared his thoughts on the issue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Relatives of the three CRPF personnel killed in Pulwama reached Pilot's residence on Monday and demanded a meeting with the Congress high command, accusing the state government of not fulfilling promises made to them. They have been staging a protest to press for their demands since February 28. (PTI)
