Rajasthan Govt Concerned Only About its 'Vaibhav', Says BJP

Jaipur: A BJP leader on Saturday said the people of Rajasthan are paying the price as the Congress government is focused on its own 'Vaibhav', using the Hindi word which means 'glory' and also is the name of the chief minster's son.

Former state BJP president Arun Chaturvedi said, "The government is only concerned about its 'Vaibhav' even as people of the state were paying the price."

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son, Vaibhav Gehlot, is contesting the Jodhpur Lok Sabha seat, currently held by Union minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

Addressing a press conference here, Chaturvedi said the entire state is suffering from a severe water crisis.

"The Congress government announced to provide free water in the state but in reality, people are not getting enough drinking water. The present government has shelved its water conservation scheme Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Yojana," he claimed.

Accusing the state government of giving contract of drinking water supply to people having "close links" with the party, he said that water tankers are being made available on the "whims and fancies" of Congress workers.

Chaturvedi said the Congress "failed" to make any alternative arrangement despite water crisis in summers whereas in the BJP government, water tankers were monitored and water was lifted from Chambal river to make it available in Bhilwara through train facility.

"The government has become completely paralysed and unable to control necessary resources required by the people," he said.

At a press conference in Churu, BJP leader and former cabinet minister Rajendra Rathore said Rajasthan was suffering from "undeclared economic emergency" from the day the Congress formed government in the state.

While the state administration is "completely paralysed", the chief minister is on an agenda to project his son Vaibhav Gehlot, Rathore said.

He said that PWD contractors who completed works of Rs 3,000 crore and submitted their bills before March 31 have "not a single penny" and farmers were forced to sell mustard and gram at much lower price that the MSP fixed by the Centre.

The state government has failed to make arrangement for gunny bags to the farmers, he alleged.

Vaibhav Gehlot is pitted against sitting Jodhpur MP Shekhawat in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. A constituency of 19.34 lakh voters, Jodhpur goes to polls in the fourth phase of the general elections on April 29.