A political war of words has erupted between Rajasthan PCC president Govind Singh Dotasra and agriculture minister Kirori Lal Meena over the recent assault on agriculture department employees in Sikar. Both leaders have been trading allegations regarding the controversial incident.
Dotasra Questions Credibility of Raids
Dotasra questioned the credibility of the Agriculture Department’s enforcement actions, alleging that officials involved in raids were themselves engaged in “commission-taking” and extortion. In a post on X, he accused the government of allowing a system where raids are followed by alleged settlements. He demanded action against officials accused of blackmail and corruption.
Meena Challenges Dotasra
Responding sharply, Meena challenged Dotasra to prove any corruption charges against him, saying he would resign as minister if even a single allegation was substantiated. He maintained that the department’s team acted honestly against fake seed operators and accused Dotasra of making baseless allegations while indirectly siding with those who attacked government officials.
Operation Decoy and Subsequent Assault
The minister said that under “Operation Decoy” on May 26, officials seized a large quantity of fungus-affected fake groundnut seeds from establishments in Sikar and Govindgarh and initiated legal action. He alleged that members of the decoy team were later assaulted by 20-25 people after being lured to a location by seed traders.
Seed Trader Accuses Officials
The controversy deepened after a seed trader accused two agriculture officials of posing as the minister’s OSDs and demanding Rs 20 lakh to avoid a raid. Police investigations into the competing allegations are currently under way.
