JAIPUR: Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot alleged on Sunday that the accused in the 2022 Kanhaiyalal murder case in Rajasthan's Udaipur are BJP workers and claimed that despite it being an "open-and-shut" case, the victim's family is awaiting justice for nearly four years.
Reacting to a statement made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament, the former Rajasthan chief minister said her remarks suggesting that no action was taken in the case were "factually incorrect and misleading".
He said the Rajasthan Police had taken swift action and arrested the assailants within hours of the killing, after which the BJP-led Centre got the probe transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
"From 2022 till 2026, Kanhaiyalal's family has been waiting for justice," Gehlot said.
The veteran Congress leader said he has repeatedly asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the status of the case and when the accused would be punished, but received no clear response.
He said public apprehension is growing due to the delay in meting out punishment to the accused and alleged that this is happening because they are associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Gehlot said the issue was politicised with "false claims" during elections, while in reality, the victim's family had received Rs 50 lakh as compensation and government jobs for both sons.
"The country is watching all this and accountability will be fixed when the time comes," the Congress leader said.