Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday explained why his government could not fulfill some of the demands of the widows of Pulwama martyrs. In a statement, he said the widow of Hemraj Meena, who was martyred in the attack, wants the third statue to be installed, while the two others are already in government colleges, Sangod and Vinod Kalan, in a park in his native village. are installed.
“Keeping in mind the families of other martyrs, such a demand is not justified,” the chief minister said in a statement in Hindi. Rohitash Lamba’s wife is seeking a job for her brother-in-law on compassionate grounds, but if she gets a job, then the relatives or relatives of all the widows of the martyrs will start putting undue pressure on them.
“Should we create such a difficult situation in front of the wives of the martyrs because the rules made at present are made on the basis of past experiences. How can it be justified to deprive the children of the martyrs of their rights and give jobs to others?” What will happen when the children of the martyrs grow up?’
Gehlot slams BJP
Hitting out at the BJP, Gehlot said some of its leaders were insulting the widows of the martyrs and using them for political gains.
The relatives of three CRPF jawans killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack arrived at Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s residence and demanded a meeting with the party high command, accusing the state government of not fulfilling the promises made to them.
Without directly naming BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena, who was sitting on a dharna with the widows of the martyrs, Gehlot said in a statement, “Some BJP leaders are using the wives of the martyrs for political gains and insulting them.” . mileage. This has never been the tradition of Rajasthan. I condemn it.
What are the demands?
The demands of the widows include installation of statues of martyred jawans, providing jobs to their kin on compassionate grounds and construction of roads in their villages.
Gehlot said that during his first term as Chief Minister in 1999, the Rajasthan government had released the Kargil package for the dependents of martyrs and it has been made more effective by increasing it from time to time.
He said that the Rajasthan government has made a provision that if a soldier’s wife is pregnant at the time of martyrdom and does not want a job, then it will be kept reserved for the child so that their future can be secured.
Gehlot said that according to the rules of this package, help has been given to the dependents of Pulwama martyrs.
Gehlot said, “Rajasthan is a land of heroes and thousands of soldiers from the state have sacrificed their lives for the motherland. The people here and the government respect the martyrs the most.”
He said he shared his views on the issue with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Pratap Singh Khachariawas, a minister in the Gehlot government, met the widows of the martyrs protesting outside the pilot’s residence and said that it is the responsibility of the government to respect them.
Pilot had written to Gehlot on Monday, demanding an inquiry into the alleged police misbehavior with the widows. He also requested them to consider their demands sympathetically.
(with PTI inputs)