Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was at an event to honour teachers in Jaipur
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot found himself in an embarrassing position on Tuesday after being told by teachers in the state they had to lobby local MLAs and pay cash for transfers and new posts.
Worse still, the state education minister, Govind Dotasra, was on stage - at an event in Jaipur meant to honour teachers - when Mr Gehlot was told, effectively, of the corruption within his government.
A brief video of the interaction has emerged online and in it the Chief Minister himself appears to raise the issue - of teachers having to pay cash - and asks the crowd if this is true.
To this the crowd responds: "Yes, we have to pay."
Mr Gehlot initially appears at a loss for words and then promises to look into the complaint. "It's very unfortunate teachers need to pay money for transfer. A policy should be made...," he said.
Mr Dotasra, who followed Mr Gehlot in addressing the teachers, was quoted by news agency ANI: "It (paying cash for transfers) will be scrapped with the implementation of a policy for the transfer of teachers."
The video will, no doubt, provide the opposition BJP with more ammunition ahead of the 2023 Assembly election. The party has already sought to corner the ruling Congress over alleged irregularities in the 2021 Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers.
Last month Rajasthan BJP spokesperson and MLA Ramlal Sharma called on Mr Gehlot to apologise to the youth of Rajasthan for these "irregularities" and demanded that Education Minister Dotasra resign.
The BJP has also demanded a CBI probe and accused a Congress worker of being a key accused.
The Congress has denied this charge, and senior leader Sachin Pilot has promised strong action.
Meanwhile, Mr Gehlot must also contemplate a cabinet reshuffle in the days ahead - triggered by last year's rebellion by Mr Pilot, who is still waiting for his supporters to be accommodated.
Education Minister Govind Dotasra is among those who could be removed, with the Congress expected to implement a 'one leader-one post' policy, ANI reported.
Mr Dotasra is also the Rajasthan Congress chief.
With input from ANI