Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday lashed out at the Congress government in Rajasthan, alleging that while the State had set new records in crimes, riots, and corruption under the party’s rule, the “pretension of unity” among its leaders was only meant for public consumption. “Despite a hundred handshakes, there has been no reconciliation,” Mr. Modi said.
Mr. Modi was addressing public meetings in Bharatpur and Nagaur ahead of the November 25 Assembly election in the presence of BJP candidates at the seats falling in the two districts. In a tacit reference to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot, Mr. Modi said the two were “half-heartedly posing for photo ops together” just for elections.
“There is bitterness in their hearts. The Chief Minister was busy saving his chair for the last five years… They have left the people of Rajasthan to fend for themselves,” Mr. Modi said. He said that though there was a deep division within Congress, its leaders pretended to be on friendly terms when their senior leaders came from Delhi.
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The Prime Minister said the State government had let loose anti-social elements with its policy of appeasement, creating a situation where the people were unable to celebrate their festivals, including Holi, Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti, peacefully. “People’s lives are stake amid the recurrent riots, curfew and stone pelting,” Mr. Modi said.
Taking a swipe at Mr. Gehlot, Mr. Modi said the people had decided not to vote for the “jadugar” (magician) in the upcoming election, in which the Congress would be wiped out. He accused the Chief Minister of shattering women’s faith in the government and asked if Mr. Gehlot had the right to remain in the chair “even for a minute” after his purported remarks that women were making false complaints of rape to the police.
Mr. Modi said the Congress was “anti-Dalit by nature”, alleging that the party had boycotted a meeting recently for the appointment of Chief Information Commissioner, Heeralal Samariya, a Scheduled Caste person belonging to Rajasthan’s Deeg district. He also held the Congress government responsible for inflation, and the high prices of petrol and diesel in the State.
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Promising that the BJP would review the fuel prices if elected to power, Mr. Modi said the Congress government, charging ₹109 per litre for petrol — higher than other States — was taking money away from the public and putting it in the coffers of the ruling party’s leaders.
The Prime Minister said the “red diary” would continue to trouble the Congress as it contained details of illegal transactions as well as secrets of how the “magician government” had handed over the State to the mining mafia. Four pages purported to be from the diary were recently circulated on the social media platforms.
Mr. Modi said while the Congress had betrayed the people of the State in every aspect of governance, the BJP was willing to give its guarantee cards for fulfilling the promises. “The BJP gave a guarantee that Article 370 [of the Constitution] would be removed, a grand Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya, triple talaq abolished, and reservation given to women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies. Hasn’t Modi fulfilled these guarantees?” he asked.
Mr. Modi said the Centre had disbursed ₹90,000 crore to families of ex-soldiers since ‘one rank one pension’ (OROP) had been implemented. The doors had been opened to women for recruitment in the Army, and the number of women in the paramilitary forces had been doubled, he said.
