JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday faced an embarrassing moment when, at a state-level function to honour teachers, his audience told him they had to grease palms for transfers and postings.
Speaking at the felicitation programme in Jaipur, Gehlot asked the teachers if they had to pay bribes for transfers, to which they replied in a resounding ‘yes’.
Taken aback for a moment, the CM said it was very unfortunate.
“A policy should be made on this. Sadly, the teachers are eager to get the transfer done by paying money. If a policy is made then the money shall not be transferred, nor will you have to go to the MLA. What is happening right now is that the one who knows MLA-MPs get their work done… There must be an end to this.”
The episode also left Education Minister and State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra embarrassed.
Speaking later, he said, “The CM talked about the transfers and indicated that somewhere, the pocket of the common man gets pinched. All this will end upon implementation of the transfer policy under the leadership of the chief minister.”
Till now, the government has not formulated the transfer policy though the Congress often used to make allegations of bribery in transfers and postings during the BJP rule. Dotasara himself had leveled allegations in the assembly.
Tuesday’s incident gave the BJP a chance to attack the state government.
“Teachers have provided clear evidence that there is enormous corruption. What else is left to prove? The CM himself is talking about it,” said the state BJP chief.
Another party leader, Rajendra Rathore, said the teachers had shown the “corrupt face of the government to everyone”.