"Entire Focus On Saving Chair": BJP's Swipe At Ashok Gehlot

BJP's Rajasthan in-charge Arun Singh on Sunday accused Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of clinging on to his chair throughout his tenure and alleged that his focus was solely on saving his post.

Talking to reporters on the occasion of the inauguration of the Media Centre near the state BJP office, Mr Singh said, "The chief minister clung on to his chair throughout his tenure and his entire focus was on saving his chair. There was no one to take care of the people of the state. There is massive resentment among the public due to this." 

BJP's national media in-charge Anil Baluni said, "During the Congress rule in Rajasthan, corruption has been at its peak at the behest of the chief minister. The situation here is such that every day, on average, more than four people are caught red-handed taking bribes by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)." 

He said in many cases, Congress leaders or those associated with them were arrested, adding that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is now investigating corruption cases in Rajasthan.

National spokesperson of the BJP and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the crime rate has reached its peak in Rajasthan during the Congress rule. There has been a huge increase in the number of incidents of rape and torture against women in the state, he claimed.

Mr Trivedi said Mr Gehlot always had a fear of losing his chair and as a result, the state could not even get a home minister in five years. Due to the inaction of the government, the morale of criminals was high and the common man was forced to live in fear, he claimed.

Mr Gehlot also holds the home portfolio in the state.

Another national spokesperson of the saffron party, Shahzad Poonawala, said the country is writing a new story of progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the result of the work done with the vision and thinking of the prime minister that India has become the fifth-largest economy in the world, he said.

State BJP chief C P Joshi claimed that the departure of the Congress government from the state after the upcoming Assembly polls has now been decided.

He accused the Congress of deceiving the people of Rajasthan, failing to protect women and not honouring its promises made to farmers and youngsters.

Mr Joshi said the BJP has announced its candidates for most of the seats in Rajasthan and claimed that there is still an atmosphere of confusion in the Congress camp. The Congress does not have any face to project in the election, whereas the BJP's face is Modi, he said.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Rajendra Rathore said there has been an atmosphere of anarchy in Rajasthan for the last five years. Youngsters are worried about getting jobs, common people have been forced to stand in queues at inflation relief camps and women are being tortured, he alleged. In view of all these factors, the people of the desert state have decided to show the door to the Congress government, Mr Rathore said.

The 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will go to polls on November 25 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)