Congress govt in Rajasthan ‘kind to terrorists’ and criminals, deserves zero marks: PM Modi

Student Reporter, Sep 25, 2023, 8:36 PM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress dispensation in Rajasthan of ”being kind to terrorists” and criminals, and said the party deserved zero marks for the kind of government it ran in the state for five years.

Calling upon the people to oust the party from power in the assembly elections due later this year, he also accused the Ashok Gehlot government of wasting five important years of the state’s youth and engaging in corruption and appeasement politics.

The prime minister said the Congress never wanted women to get 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and that it supported the women’s reservation bill in Parliament last week because of pressure from women.

Addressing a public rally near here, Modi also attacked the Congress over the Sanatan Dharma issue. He said the call to finish ”Sanatan” was the height of appeasement just for a few votes and the alliance of the opposition parties, which he referred to as ”ghamandiya gathbandhan” (arrogant alliance), will have to suffer losses in every coming election.

He said that other states were touching new heights in industrial investments whereas in Rajasthan there was corruption at every step.

”It is necessary to set up industries in Rajasthan too, but where there is corruption at every step, where there are black deeds in a ‘lal diary’, where everyone is busy in (getting) cuts and commissions, who would want to invest money?” he said, referring to a red diary which sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha claimed had details of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s financial transactions.

”How can investment take place in an environment where incident of cutting someone’s throat happens and the government is helpless? This was not an ordinary crime, it was the result of Congress’ vote-bank appeasement politics,” he said, in an apparent reference to the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur last year over an alleged insult to Islam.

Modi said how will there be any fear of law when the government is ”meherban” (kind) to terrorists and criminals, instead of taking action against them.

”The kind of government that Congress has run here for five years (it) deserves to get zero number. The Gehlot government wasted five important years of the youth of Rajasthan. That is why the people of Rajasthan have decided to remove the Gehlot government and bring back the BJP. I can clearly see that there will be change in Rajasthan,” Modi said.

He was addressing the ‘Parivartan Sankalp Maharally’ at Dadiya village on the outskirts of Jaipur.

The rally marked the culmination of four ‘Parivartan Yatras’ that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out in the poll-bound state. Assembly elections in Rajasthan are due later this year.

Modi also accused the Congress dispensation of patronising the mafia leaking recruitment exam question papers and said when the BJP forms government, strictest action will be taken against the mafia.

”The government cannot give opportunities to the youth but can only deceive them. Paper leaks bring embarrassment to the entire state. The government gives protection to the paper leak mafia. After the formation of BJP government in Rajasthan, strictest action will be taken against this paper leak mafia,” he said.

On the issue of women’s reservation, the prime minister said, ”Congress never had the intention to empower women of the country. Congress people who are talking about women’s reservation today could have done this 30 years ago or when they got the chance, but the truth is that they never wanted women to get 33 per cent reservation,” he said.

”Even today, if they have come in support of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, they have come as a result of pressure from all women,” he said.

He said that those who had stopped this bill during the erstwhile UPA government are trying to divert such a big decision of empowering women, they are still putting pressure, hence women have to be very cautious.

On the attack on the Sanatan Dharma, Modi said that people understand that the call to eradicate it completely was the height of appeasement politics.

”The ‘ghamandiya gathbandhan’ will have to suffer losses in every upcoming election. They will be decimated,” he said.

He said that the legacy of Sanatan was given by great men like Maharana Pratap, Maharaja Surajmal and Rana Kumbha.

Modi said that India’s credibility at the global level is increasing and the country will become the third largest economy in the world in the years to come but for that, Rajasthan will have to progress and for that, a ”double-engine government” — same party rule at the Centre and in the state — was required. Highlighting the achievements of his government, Modi said, ”I do what I say. Therefore, my guarantee has substance. This is the track record of the last nine years.” Modi said that his government implemented ”one rank, one pension” for ex-servicemen and addressed the issue of instant triple talaq.

Addressing the rally, BJP state president C P Joshi said the party will win the upcoming assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan.

Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, former state president Satish Poonia and other leaders were also present in the meeting. Earlier, Modi was welcomed by the BJP Mahila Morcha cadre at the venue.

Modi reached the meeting venue in Dadiya village in Vatika on the outskirts of Jaipur from a nearby helipad in an open-top vehicle escorted by activists of the BJP’s women wing who raised slogans in his support.