JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has launched a fresh political offensive against the BJP, urging former CM Vasundhara Raje to speak candidly about the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) and its new version, PKC-ERCP. Gehlot accused the BJP of misleading the public and questioned the credibility of the revised agreement.
Speaking to the media in Jaipur on Friday, Gehlot responded to Raje’s recent remarks on the drinking water crisis in Jhalawar. He said, "Vasundhara Raje has been the Chief Minister twice. She understands the entire issue. From what I gather, the ERCP has simply been renamed as PKC-ERCP. All of this is meaningless. Even the government admits that nothing concrete will happen for the next nine years- so why are they fooling the public?"
Gehlot went further, alleging that Raje knows the new PKC-ERCP agreement lacks any real substance. "My complaint with Vasundhara Raje is this—being a two-time Chief Minister, she should speak for the entire state, not just Jhalawar. Saying that water won’t reach Jhalawar alone is misleading," he said. "If she truly has political integrity, she should call a press conference and tell the press whether there is any real value in the new agreement."
Gehlot’s pointed remarks have caused unease in political circles and triggered a flurry of activity from Jaipur to Delhi. Sources indicate that Union Minister C.R. Patil and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma have summoned senior officials to discuss the situation.
The controversy comes in the wake of Vasundhara Raje publicly reprimanding officials over the severe drinking water crisis in Jhalawar. Her intervention has already prompted swift administrative action. The government has suspended (APOed) the Superintendent Engineer of the Water Supply Department, Deepak Kumar Jha. Officials say further action may be taken against other officers found negligent.
The Water Resources Department has admitted that the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the Jhalawar district has been unsatisfactory, further fueling the political storm brewing over water management in the state.