oppn parties Major Goof-Up By Ashok Gehlot In Rajasthan Assembly On Budget Day

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oppn parties
Major Goof-Up By Ashok Gehlot In Rajasthan Assembly On Budget Day

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-02-10 10:54:04

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

In a major goof-up, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot started reading out portions of the 2022 state budget instead of the 2023 budget. He did so without realizing the mistake for full 8 minutes before the state finance department officials, who were sitting in the officer's gallery, alerted Mahesh Joshi, the chief whip of the Congress party who in turn stopped Gehlot.

Although the BJP started protesting and raised the issue by storming the well of the house and alleged that the budget has been leaked, it is obvious that it was the officials who are tasked with preparing the chief minister's papers who caused the debacle. Yet, a seasoned politician like Gehlot should have at least taken a look at what he was about to read or should have realized within a few minutes that he was reading out the old budget.

The incident shows that politicians rely on officials to the point of fault. However pressed for time he might have been, Gehlot should have gone through the papers along with the officials before coming to the assembly. If he had done so, the incident would not have happened. But his complete reliance on officials or unconcern to be perfect has made him open to barbs by the opposition. BJP leader and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia released a video and asked "how safe the state can be in the hands of a CM who can read an old budget for 8 minutes without realizing that it is of last year".


It is clear that heads are going to roll in the finance department as Gehlot tries to get over this embarrassing incident. Apart from the opposition, it will also provide fodder to party dissidents to go after Gehlot and paint him as unfit to remain chief minister. But Gehlot has the confidence of the high command and the dissidents do not have the numbers. So most likely the controversy will blow over.

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