Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's son appears before ED in Delhi
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son, Vaibhav Gehlot, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi on Monday in relation to an alleged foreign exchange violation case. Reportedly, Vaibhav arrived at the probe agency's office at around 11:30am on Monday. To recall, the central agency on Friday issued a summons to the Congress leader to appear at its office in Jaipur or the national capital.
Why does this story matter?
Ahead of the assembly elections in Rajasthan next month, several leaders of the ruling Congress have been facing corruption allegations. The current case is based on a complaint filed by two Jaipur residents in 2015 that claimed Vaibhav sourced illegal funds from Mauritius-based Shivnar Holdings, suspected to be a shell company. Separately, the ED raided several locations linked to state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara last week in an alleged case of leaked question papers to recruit government school teachers.
Visuals of Rajasthan CM's son arriving at ED office today
Know about allegations against Rajasthan CM's son
The ED's summons was issued after the agency's recent raids against Rajasthan-based hospitality group Triton Hotels and Resorts, Vardha Enterprises, and its promoters and directors, including Rattan Kant Sharma and Shiv Shankar Sharma, among others. The probe agency had raided premises linked to the group and its promoters in Udaipur, Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai for three days in August and managed to seize around Rs. 1.2 crore of unaccounted cash. Reportedly, Vaibhav and Rattan are former business partners.
Rajasthan CM earlier dismissed allegations against son
Earlier, dismissing the allegations against his son, Rajasthan CM Gehlot said, "Vaibhav Gehlot only has a taxi company. Rattan (Kant Sharma) was a partner, but they work separately now." He claimed the central probe agencies like the ED have lost their credibility due to their alleged misuse by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre. He added, "It is a worrying situation." Notably, the ED is likely to question Vaibhav on his alleged links to Rattan.
About upcoming Rajasthan assembly polls
The 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly polls are scheduled for November 25, with the counting of votes set for December 3. Notably, in the previous 2018 assembly polls, the Congress emerged as the single-largest party. Currently, the grand old party has 108 seats, while the BJP has 70. Moreover, in order to retain power, Rajasthan's Congress unit has been battling infighting between Gehlot and former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot's factions.
