Ashok Gehlot said democracy is still alive in India after 70 years of independence. (File)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi commands respect globally because he leads Mahatma Gandhi's country.
"When PM Modi goes abroad, he gets so much respect. He gets the respect because he is the prime minister of the country of (Mahatma) Gandhi, where the roots of democracy run deep and where, even after more than 70 years of independence, democracy is alive," Mr Gehlot said while sharing the stage with PM Modi at a public event at Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan's Banswara.
Mr Gehlot urged PM Modi for a review of the railway project between Ratlam-Dungarpur and Banswara, which was started by the previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre.
He apprised the prime minister that his government has done a lot for tribals, from opening colleges and universities to providing healthcare facilities. "I will also urge the prime minister to examine the Chiranjeevi health scheme and I believe that you (PM Modi) would like to implement it across the country," the veteran Congress leader said.
He said Banswara is not connected with a rail route and that is why the UPA government had proposed the Ratlam-Dungarpur via Banswara rail link under a central scheme with 50 per cent contribution from the state government.
PM Modi asked the Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra governments on Tuesday to hold detailed discussions and prepare a roadmap to develop Mangarh Dham.
The dham, a memorial for around 1,500 tribals massacred by the British army in 1913, is located in Banswara, on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border, a region with a large tribal population.
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