Senior Congress leader Johari Lal Meena on Sunday accused newly appointed Rajasthan minister Tikaram Juli of being a "corrupt man" and demanded his removal from the cabinet, but Juli dismissed the charges as baseless and demanded proof.
Rajasthan Cabinet expansion took place on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to ANI, Meena said, "In our district Alwar, it is well known that Tikaram Juli is a corrupt man and that his family is involved in the collection of illegal funds. I asked the party leadership to remove him but instead, he has been made a minister. I am against it."
He said that today is a black day for Alwar district and if necessary, he will resign from the party.
In response, Juli said, "Johari Lal Meena is a senior leader of the party. I respect him but his allegations are baseless. He should come out with proof, if he has any, to back his allegations."
In a Rajasthan cabinet reshuffle, as many as 15 ministers-- 11 of cabinet rank and four ministers of state-- were inducted into Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's cabinet on Sunday afternoon. The ministers were administered the oath of office by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra.
The cabinet reshuffle took place after a series of high-level meetings of Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot with Congress high command in the national capital in the past few weeks.
( With inputs from ANI )
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