Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who hails from Rajasthan, says the state where the elections for the 200-member Assembly are due on November 25, says the people are longing for change and they need a government that gives top priority to development and peace. Shekhawat, who is considered one of the probable faces for the CM’s post if the BJP wins, tells Rajesh Kumar Thakur that the winds of change against corruption and crime are sweeping the state and the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government will soon be ousted. Excerpts:
How confident are you about BJP coming to power in Rajasthan?
The people are clamouring for change in the state; they feel cheated by the Congress. I have seen during my campaigning for the party that people, irrespective of caste and creed, are determined to oust the Congress government, which has failed to come up to the expectations of the people.
What are the key issues for the BJP?
The state is beset with crime, corruption and administrative anarchy. Ashok Gehlot as CM has failed to
deliver. The people have decided to vote him out as there is nothing that can be claimed in the name of peace and prosperity.
The BJP has made crime against women in Rajasthan a major poll issue against the Congress government…
It is true. More than 2 lakh women in the state have suffered atrocities during the Congress rule. The victims are desperately looking for justice. Voters have made up their mind to throw the Congress government out.
Congress says the BJP doesn’t have enough state-level faces, which has forced it to field MPs in the assembly election…
The BJP is blessed with many leaders. As far as fielding MPs is concerned, where is the face of the leader in the Congress party? It is a party that runs around a single family as a part of dynastic politics and indulges in the politics of appeasement. In BJP, the MPs chosen for contesting the Assembly polls are decided by the parliamentary board of the party. For BJP, the welfare of country comes first.
There are reports of infighting in the BJP…
The Congress is portraying its own internal squabbles by alleging this. The Congress and infighting go hand-in-hand. The BJP is a party that thrives on good governance through the collective development of all. There is no infighting; it never existed in BJP. In Congress, seniors are humiliated for various positions. The BJP has no such culture.
What’d say about the party’s manifesto?
It is not a manifesto but a vision document prepared after speaking to people. The document is linked to the lives of everyone and projects Rajasthan as a ‘viksit rajya’, which is the growth engine of “Viksit Bharat.” There is a road map to develop the state. The BJP’s vision document is based on the people’s aspirations.
The party’s poll manifesto missed the popular demand for the old pension scheme…
BJP believes in ‘sab ka vikas, sab ka sath aur sab ka prayas’ Our niyati (intention) and niti (policy) are clear. Unlike the Congress, the BJP is not inclined to mislead the people for electoral gains.
Are you in the race for the CM’s post?
We in the BJP don’t serve the party to become CM or some other minister. This is the duty of the central leadership. But one thing is clear we’ll work together with anyone in the party who gets the task to helm the state. Rajasthan needs a government that provides swifter development with peace. The BJP will ensure it. The Congress government has pushed the state into backwardness in terms of development. Corruption is rampant and dynastic politics rules the state by proxy. To quote PM Modi, Congress and development are enemies of each other.
Why is the BJP contesting Assembly polls with PM Modi as the party’s face?
The Prime Minister is now a global leader and vastly popular in the country. He is the most trusted people-centric leader. “Jis neta ko dunia accept kar rahi ho vo nishchit rup se role model hota hi hai (the leader who is accepted as a global leader naturally becomes a role model). PM Modi is a role model of good governance and an embodiment of “developmental politics.”
Congress’ Chiranjeevi Yojna is being cited as an example of the government’s genuine concern for the people…
This Yojna is not exclusive to Congress and its government. This is based on the Centre’s Aayushman Bharat Yojna. The funds used in the Chiranjeevi Yojna are received from the central government.