My conscience is clear: Vasundhara Raje
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Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has said she is feeling neither embarrassed nor cornered by the controversy surrounding the allotment of 7,600 sq m of land to Deendayal Upadhayay Trust in Jaipur.
”My conscience is clear and I was not going to take it home. I thought it would be doing some good work,” Ms Raje said in an interview to CNN-IBN to be broadcast tonight.
Reacting to the decision of not taking over the land by the trust headed by her, the Chief Minister clarified, ”It was only due to the fact that people were pointing fingers at a trust with which names of stalwarts like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Deen Dayal Upadhyay were associated.” A number of PILs have been filed in the case in the Rajasthan High Court, which has directed a CBI inquiry into the matter.
When asked if her government would initiate a CBI inquiry, she evaded a direct reply, saying, ”The matter is sub judice.” Defending the move to pass the anti-conversion ‘Rajasthan Dharma Swatantraya Bill 2006′, Ms Raje asserted various other states too have similar laws.
Strongly rejecting that the bill was aimed at targeting the Christian missionaries in the state, the Rajasthan Chief Minister said, ”It is for everyone. The most important thing is that people of all religion should live in peace and the Bill will only ensure that.” She termed the question ”anti-feminist” when asked about her liplock with Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. ”Had two men kissed on screen nobody would have raised an eyebrow.” She clarified that she walked the ramp for the sake of promoting the handicraft and cottage industry which was ”the backbone of the Rajasthan’s economy.” ”I have been closely associated with the artisans and weavers and the handicraft industry during my tenure as the Union Minister for Small Scale Industries.” Ms Raje said Rajasthan made huge strides in every field since she took over.There was a marked improvement in the state’s financial health with the total deficit being brought to zero this year and the state would be earning surplus from next year onwards, she added.
She said an unnecessary controversy was created regarding the purchase of a luxury car and a plane by her government.
The car is a Toyota Corolla and not a Mercedes as was reported in a section of the media. Even the plane was bought as the previous one was 27 years old.
”Rajasthan is one of the biggest states in the country. And for chief minister to go from one end to another it was necessary. You cannot go by bullock-cart or bus,” she asserted.