Slamming the Rajasthan government, BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said under Congress rule, people are suffering, corruption is rampant, law and order is non-existent and leaders are unconcerned.
Scindia was in Rajasthan on Sunday afternoon and addressed a public meeting in Gangapur in Bhilwara district in favour of BJP candidate for the Sahada by-poll, Ratan Lal Jat. This was Scindia’s first visit to Rajasthan since joining the BJP in 2020.
Scindia said the countdown to the end of chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s government will begin from April 17 when the electorate will vote to end the misrule in the state.
By-polls are to be held in Sujangarh (Churu District), Sahada (Bhilwara district) and Rajsamand on April 17 after the deaths of the sitting MLAs.
Sujangarh and Sahada were held by the Congress while Rajsamand was with the BJP. While Congress is expected to retain Sujangarh and BJP is likely to win Rajsamand, a tough battle is on for Sahada where Congress has fielded Gayatri Devi, the wife of late MLA Kailash Trivedi.
With former chief minister Vasundhara Raje absent from the campaign, the BJP has brought in Scindia.
BJP is hoping that the Scindia family's historical ties with Gangapur could pull votes in its favour.
A dozen odd villages in Sahada area including Gangapur were under the erstwhile Scindia royal family.
The Scindia connect goes back 230 years when a daughter of Mewar royal family, Gangabai, was married into Gwalior. It is said that Gangabai travelled to Udaipur to resolve a tiff between the rulers of Udaipur and Deogarh. On her way back to Gwalior, Gangabai passed away in Lalpura village near Gangapur. Her last rites were conducted there.
As per the prevailing custom, a place where final rites of any royal were conducted, that place became part of the royal family. So Gangapur was named after Gangabai and brought under the Gwalior royal family. A temple and Chhatri were also built dedicated to Gangabai.
On his arrival in Sahada, Scindia visited the Gangabai temple and offered prayers. He then participated in a roadshow to the venue of the public meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Scindia, a former Congress leader, criticised the government for failing to keep its promises to the youth and farmers.
He said Congress has failed to give a complete loan waiver to farmers in the state. On the other hand, prime minister Narendra Modi has given Rs 6,000 to each and every farmer in the country. “Gehlot should first give money to farmers and then criticise the centre,” said Scindia.
Scindia also took up the issue of unemployment, saying Rajasthan has the highest unemployment rate. He said the Congress had promised Rs3500 doles to unemployed youth but reneged on the promise after coming to power.
