There is no 'red diary', just a BJP conspiracy: Rajasthan Cong chief Dotasra

Jaipur: Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on Tuesday said the "red diary" episode is a conspiracy hatched by the BJP and predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will speak about it when he visits the state this week.

"There is no such diary," he told PTI.

Dotasra was referring to claims that Gudha had a diary containing details of financial irregularities involving Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and others. The Congress MLA was suspended from the state assembly on Monday after he triggered a ruckus over it.

"The atmosphere created over the 'red diary' was only a conspiracy hatched by the BJP because the prime minister of the country has nothing to speak about in his rally in Sikar on July 27. You will see the PM mention the 'red diary' in his public meeting," Dotasra said.

Gehlot sacked Gudha last week after he criticised his own government in the assembly over crime against women when the violence in BJP-run Manipur was being discussed. He held charge as the minister of state for Sainik Kalyan (Independent Charge), Home Guard and Civil Defence, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development.

Dotasra claimed that the entire "red diary" episode was aimed at creating an atmosphere favouring the BJP ahead of the state elections due later this year.

He also asked where Gudha got the diary, how it has stayed with him for so long and why the ex-minister did not hand it over to central investigative agencies.

On Sunday, Gudha had claimed that he had saved Chief Minister Gehlot from trouble by securing the "red diary" on his directions during a raid by the ED and the Income Tax Department against party leader Dharmendra Rathore.

Dotasra also referred to Rajasthan BJP legislators waving "symbolic" diaries when the ex-minister wanted to "table" the "red diary" in the House. "The BJP members had come to the assembly with red diaries. So you can understand that these are conspiracies of the BJP ahead of the upcoming assembly elections," he told PTI.

"Unfortunately, one of our colleagues (MLA Gudha) got involved in it," Dotasra added.

He further said, "Only the work of creating an atmosphere is being done. There is no such thing. There is no such diary."