Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses during a public meeting for the Rajasthan assembly elections, at Parbatsar in Didwana Kuchaman District on November 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Taking a swipe at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said governance, law and order, healthcare, electrification of villages, employment and the previous BJP regime’s welfare schemes had vanished into thin air with his magic. “Only a magician can achieve this feat,” Mr. Shah said, in what appeared to be a reference to Mr. Gehlot’s family profession.
Mr. Shah addressed public rallies at Kuchaman, Makrana, Bidiyas and Parbatsar in Nagaur district of the poll-bound State. He said the Congress government had not only completely failed in Rajasthan, but its “appeasement policy” had led to riots, while corruption and crime had made life difficult.
Mr. Shah cited the recruitment exam paper leaks, illegal mining, communal incidents, murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, ban on Hindu religious processions and increasing crimes against women as instances of the Congress government’s failures. The November 25 Assembly election is an opportunity to uproot this government, he said.
The Home Minister said the “red diary”, which was a record of “questionable financial transactions”, would continue to create problems for the Congress until Mr. Gehlot disclosed what was in it. “Mr. Gehlot should have resigned over the red diary instead of taking action against his Minister,” he said, referring to the dismissal of Minister Rajendra Gudha, who showed the diary in the State Assembly.
Mr. Shah said Mr. Gehlot, like Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, wanted to promote his son, but had been unable to launch him properly. Ms. Gandhi wanted to make her son Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister and Mr. Gehlot wanted to make his son Vaibhav the Chief Minister. Unlike them, the nation under Prime Minister Modi had launched ‘Chandrayaan’.
Mr. Shah accused the Congress of stalling the construction of the Ram temple for 70 years. The temple’s consecration on January 22, following bhoomi pujan (land worship) by Mr. Modi, would restore the glory of faith, he added. Congress leaders who had questions about the temple were silent now, he said.
The Minister said he was willing to guarantee that all households would get piped water two-and-a-half-years after the formation of a BJP government. The Modi government had implemented projects worth ₹ 6 lakh crore in Rajasthan over the last nine years, he said.
He asked people to vote for the BJP. Candidates for the BJP, Sumita Bhinchar, Man Singh Kinsariya and Vijay Singh Choudhary were present at the rallies.