Jaipur, Sep 26 Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly Tikaram Jully on Saturday attacked the BJP government after an FIR was filed against Congress MLA Chetan Patel and 27 others in connection with a protest during the Sultanpur municipal chairperson election in Kota district.
The FIR was registered based on allegations of obstructing government work and blocking a road during the election held on September 21.
“Has questioning those in power now become a crime in Rajasthan? And if an opposition MLA raises questions, does the government immediately set out to prove him a criminal?” Jully said in a post on X.
He accused the police and administration of intimidating elected representatives and keeping them under pressure.
“Intimidating and threatening elected representatives, keeping them under pressure from the police and administration and then trying to silence them through an FIR is the height of arrogance of power,” Jully said.
Jully urged Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma not to treat the matter as a matter of prestige and claimed that such cases were being used to suppress the will of the people.
“Today, the chair of power may be yours, but tomorrow time will be the judge. Times are changing,” he said.
The Kota rural police filed a case against Patel, who represents the Pipalda assembly seat, and nearly 20 others at the Sultanpur police station in the district on Tuesday night.
The case against the MLA has been transferred to CID-CB for further investigation.
Patel, along with his supporters, has been accused of obstructing official duty, blocking the road, and causing a traffic jam during the vote counting for urban local body polls on September 21.
The incident happened on Monday evening when the Congress MLA was allegedly denied entry to the vote-counting venue.
Although he initially left the scene, Congress councillors and party office-bearers remained and protested when a vehicle belonging to a BJP councillor was allowed entry, attempting to block the car.
Patel returned to the scene following the initial protest, leading to a heated altercation and commotion at the police station.
Police said that Patel and his supporters staged a road blockade and mistreated police personnel with heated words and attempted to prevent councillors from casting their votes.
(PTI News)
