Jaipur, Dec 6 (PTI) Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of trying to mislead the public by saying "absurd things", a day after the BJP leader termed the state government as "corrupt" and dared the Congress to call early polls. He also said Shah should have answered from whom did the Centre buy "faulty ventilators" during the coronavirus pandemic, playing with the "lives of people". Shah at a meeting with BJP leaders had on Sunday slammed the state government over law and order, unemployment and corruption. Hitting back at the Union minister, Gehlot said "I am wondering what has happened to Amit Shah. He is coming to Rajasthan and saying absurd things." "It seems the state BJP did not make him aware of the truth or they do not have the courage to tell the truth to Amit Shah or they are deliberately trying to mislead the public," Gehlot said in a statement. Gehlot said during the coronavirus crisis, Rajasthan has been at the forefront of providing relief to the common man. Amit Shah should have known that during the crisis, the state government spent Rs 1,866 crore, giving relief to 33 lakh families, extending Rs 5,500 to each of them, the CM said. The government issued a special package for orphans and widows, he said. Under the initiative, Rs 1 lakh was given immediately to every orphan, who will be getting Rs 5 lakh on attaining the age of 18, Gehlot added. Gehlot said they will be getting Rs 2,500 per month till the age of 18, Rs 2,000 per year for school dress and books. Widows are being given immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1,500 per month and their children Rs 1,000 every month, Gehlot said. "While the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre released a package for orphans, no immediate assistance has been given,” he said. He also said Shah should have answered from whom did they buy "faulty ventilators", playing with the "lives of people". All states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh had complained about these ventilators purchased under the PM Cares Fund, he said. "It has not come to the fore till today what happened to those who made these bad ventilators," Gehlot added. On the home minister"s statement on fuel prices, Gehlot said his government reduced VAT by 2 per cent on January 29 when no other state had done that. Then, the state government suffered a revenue loss of Rs 1,000 crore, he said, stressing that the state government suffered a loss of Rs 1,800 crore on account of reduction in excise duty by the Centre. In public interest, on November 16, VAT was again reduced by Rs 5 on diesel and Rs 4 on petrol, resulting in a loss of Rs 3,500 crore to the state exchequer, he said. The state government has suffered a revenue loss of Rs 6,300 crore due to the reductions and yet we demand that the Centre should slash the price of petrol by Rs 10 and diesel by Rs 15, which will give relief to the common man, the CM said. Gehlot said Shah also lied about oxygen plants as his state was appreciated for setting up 51 oxygen plants despite geographical constraints. PTI AG RDK RDK