Gehlot questions ‘haste’ in Barmer refinery launch after fire ahead of PM visit

Jaipur: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot Tuesday questioned the “haste” behind the inauguration of the Barmer refinery project and alleged that the state govt invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi before ensuring trial operations were fully completed.

Reacting to the recent fire incident reported ahead of the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit, Gehlot said the episode caused “embarrassment” to Rajasthan and raised serious questions over the refinery’s preparedness.

“Only God knows when the refinery will actually become operational. If trial operations were still being conducted 24-36 hours before the Prime Minister’s programme, it clearly means the refinery work was not fully complete,” Gehlot said.

He alleged that the govt rushed the inauguration under pressure despite delays in operational readiness. “The chief minister should have ensured the project was fully ready before inviting the Prime Minister,” he added.

Gehlot also targeted the BJP govt over governance issues and paper leak controversies, alleging that ministers lacked authority over their departments and officials were not responding even to senior leaders.

Referring to previous paper leak cases, Gehlot defended his govt, saying arrests and investigations began during the Congress tenure itself.