The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan on Monday issued a show cause notice to Cabinet Minister Kirodi Lal Meena, citing indiscipline over his recent allegation that he was under the government’s surveillance and his phone was being tapped. The notice, signed by BJP State president Madan Rathore, has sought a reply within three days.
While terming Mr. Meena’s act an infringement of the party’s discipline, the notice reminded him of his position as a BJP member, an elected MLA from Sawai Madhopur and a Minister in the State government. Mr. Rathore said Mr. Meena’s charges amounted to violation of the party’s constitution as well.
Mr. Meena had accused the BJP government of spying on him by tapping his telephone conversations at a public event at Amagarh temple near Jaipur last week, leading to a turmoil in the State Assembly on February 7 during the ongoing Budget session. The maverick leader had also tendered resignation from the State Cabinet in June 2024 after the BJP’s losses at some seats in the Lok Sabha election.
While his resignation was yet to be accepted, the latest barrage of allegations by Mr. Meena led to an embarrassment and disquiet in the ruling party. The Opposition Congress seized the opportunity to demand Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s resignation, saying the government was spying on its own Minister for raising concerns about corruption in the system.
Mr. Meena, who holds the agriculture portfolio, said at the public event that he was being targeted for raising the issue of corruption and criticising the State government for not taking action in the graft cases. “I got 50 trainee sub-inspectors arrested and raised the demand to cancel the 2021 recruitment exam because of paper leak. Instead of paying heed, this government is acting like the [previous] Congress regime and has sent CID sleuths to keep a watch on me,” he said.
The notice specifically pointed out that Meena had first circulated his resignation in the media for publication, and later publicly accused the BJP government of tapping his phone. “Your allegations are patently false. You have tarnished the image of the BJP government, which enjoys the majority, by making the statement in public,” Mr. Rathore stated in the notice.
The notice affirmed that Mr. Meena’s act fell in the category of indiscipline and pointed out that the BJP national president had taken cognisance of the matter. “You are required to give your explanation within three days, failing which it will be presumed that you do not want to say anything,” it said.
