JAIPUR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday virtually kicked off the BJP campaign for the Rajasthan elections with a scathing attack on the Ashok Gehlot government. Calling it one of the most corrupt governments in India’s history, Shah accused the Gehlot government of playing appeasement politics which, he said, was symbolised by recent acquittals in the Jaipur bomb blast case.
Addressing party workers and office bearers in Bharatpur, Shah took a jibe at the infighting in the Rajasthan Congress saying Sachin Pilot has no chance of ever becoming CM because Gehlot has given far more money to the Congress treasury by looting Rajasthan.
“Pilot’s number will never come. Even though Pilot is very active at the grassroots level, Gehlot’s contribution to the Congress coffers is huge,” Shah said.He also taunted Gehlot and Pilot, saying that they are fighting unnecessarily for the chair in Rajasthan because now neither of them can become CM as BJP will return to power in Rajasthan.
Shah accused the Gehlot government of ‘appeasement politics’. He said that well-planned riots have taken place in Rajasthan in recent years, but the Gehlot government does not take any strict steps due to the greed of the vote bank.On the release of the Jaipur bomb blast accused, Shah alleged that the Gehlot government did not argue the case properly in the High Court.
Shah said the “people of Rajasthan know everything. This government disappeared from the minds of the people on the same day it banned the procession on Ram Navami, he added. Shah also made it clear that the next assembly election will be fought on the face of PM Modi. Attacking CM Gehlot, Shah said the Gehlot government has “promoted dynasty and incited casteism”.
Former CM Vasundhara Raje, who was present in this programme, also took a dig at the Gehlot government while reciting ballads in praise of the central government. She said, “I am sorry that Gehlot ji is talking, not working. Rajasthan has become number one in women and Dalit atrocities. Gehlot says that the Bharatiya Janata Party tries to usurp other governments, while he himself formed the government in 2008 and 2018 through manipulations.”
In an obvious show of unity, all senior BJP leaders of the state from President CP Joshi, Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore, Deputy Leader of Opposition Satish Poonia, and Union Ministers Arjun Meghwal, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Kailash Chaudhary also participated in this program.
In the last elections, BJP’s account was not even opened in three out of four districts of Bharatpur division. The BJP’s position in Bharatpur, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur remained zero while it won only one seat in Dholpur. At present, there is no BJP MLA on 19 seats in Bharatpur division.
In the last election, Bharatpur division had become a big reason for BJP to be out of power. The Amit Shah rally on Saturday was a reflection of the BJP’s focus on strengthening booths with social engineering in this vital part of eastern Rajasthan where the party was very weak in the 2018 elections.