Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat sues Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for defamation

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said he will welcome the move of Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to file a defamation case against him in connection with the Sanjivani cooperative society scam, saying this will bring the matter into national focus.

Gehlot has accused the Union minister of being involved in the scam, which he said has "looted the lifetime deposits of more than one lakh victims amounting to more than Rs 900 crore". “I will welcome it (defamation case). This would expedite the case and help the victims who have lost money to the scam,” the chief minister told reporters when asked about Shekhawat's plan to file the defamation case against him in Delhi.

“This man (Shekhawat) should be ashamed of himself. Being a Union minister, he should have called the victims and helped them get justice," he said.

Gehlot said the Rajasthan government is ready to cooperate in the investigation of the case. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should take note of the scam. The senior Congress leader added that his government has written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe the matter but in vain. He said the right to confiscate property is with the ED and the Special Operations Group of the state police cannot seize the property of the accused.