Rajasthan Congress MLA Rajendra Gudha, who was sacked as minister by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, joined the Shiv Sena on Saturday. Gudha was inducted into the party in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Welcoming the former minister into the Shiv Sena, Shinde said Gudha left the ministerial position for the cause of people. Gudha said that he will work with Shinde for the women and children of Rajasthan. Shinde questioned Gelhot's decision to sack Gudha who criticised the law and order situation in the state.
When asked about the possibility of an alliance with the BJP in poll-bound Rajasthan, Shinde said Shiv Sena will only engage with the "politics of development" for elections and added that decisions on it will be taken when polls are closer.
Gudha, former minister of state for panchayati raj and rural development, triggered a row in July when he drew parallels between the violence against women in Manipur and crimes against women in Rajasthan. He sparked the debate in the wake of the viral video from strife-torn Manipur which showed two women being paraded naked by a mob.
Gudha further stoked controversy with claims of a 'red diary' which he claimed held details of irregularity in financial transactions of the Gehlot government. He had walked into the Legislative Assembly, waving the red diary and threatening to reveal its contents. Scenes of ruckus followed, leading to suspension of the House.
The 'red diary' triggered a wave of speculations and political debates in the state, and the BJP used it to the target the Gehlot government as the state gears up for polls.
Gudha was first elected as a legislator in 2008 on a Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) ticket after which he switched allegiance to the Congress.
