Jaipur: The war of words between Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra and Agriculture Minister Kirori Lal Meena sharpened Wednesday, with both sides trading allegations over recruitment, caste certificates and alleged corruption in the agriculture department.Dotasra demanded that Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma order a probe into Meena’s allegations that his son and daughter-in-law secured RAS jobs using fake OBC certificates. Meena recently wrote to Sharma seeking an inquiry into the matter.At a news conference, Dotasra said he was ready for any investigation but countered with allegations of large-scale irregularities in fertiliser and seed sales under Meena’s watch. He accused the minister of presiding over a “Rs 400-500 crore game” in the name of fertiliser and seed raids and demanded an impartial inquiry into the trail of money.“I want to request CM to investigate allegations he (Meena) has levelled against me and my relatives. Money involved in seed and fertiliser scam should also be investigated. Let the truth emerge,” Dotasra said.Rejecting the charges against his family, Dotasra said RPSC had already clarified the issue in 2021 asserted he had “no problem with any inquiry.”Dotasra also targeted Meena personally, alleging that the minister once fell at former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s feet and pleaded for cases against him to be withdrawn. “That man who cried before Ashok Gehlot to remove his cases is today levelling allegations against us. He should be ashamed,” he said.Gehlot, meanwhile, also waded into the war of words, saying Meena, desperate to divert attention away from his corruption, was targeting Dotasra.Referring to the recent seizure of Rs 2.4 crore allegedly involving persons linked to the department, Dotasra said, “The minister himself admitted that people who gave him inputs were stealing behind his back.”Meena hit back, saying those responsible for corruption and irregularities in recruitments could not escape by spreading lies and that the youth deserved answers on recruitment fairness and alleged favouritism.
