Jaipur: With civic polls providing the backdrop, chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma Wednesday used the culmination of his roadshow at Tripolia Gate to focus on issues such as “love jihad”, the proposed Disturbed Areas Bill and “one state, one election”, while seeking votes for BJP candidates on the final day of campaigning for the second phase of urban local body elections.
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and State BJP chief during the Road show in City
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and State BJP chief during the Road show in City
CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and State BJP chief during the Road show in City
Sharma said BJP govt had brought an anti-conversion law to address the issue of “love jihad” in Rajasthan. “We have worked to free Rajasthan, including Jaipur, from the problem of love jihad. Such incidents used to take place during Congress govt, but we brought the anti-conversion law,” the CM said.Referring to Disturbed Areas Bill, Sharma said it was aimed at dealing with alleged cases in which people were forcibly pushed out of Jaipur’s Walled City. “Now, nobody needs to be afraid. If anyone still troubles the common man, his place will be in jail,” he said.The roadshow began at Sanganeri Gate, where Sharma offered prayers at a Hanuman temple, and concluded at Tripolia Gate. During the event, he also linked the civic polls to the earlier restructuring of municipal corporations. Sharma alleged the previous Congress govt created two municipal corporations each in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota based on “appeasement”, while the current BJP govt restored a single municipal corporation in each of the three cities.On “one state, one election”, Sharma took a swipe at Congressmen. “Congress people used to say that even your ‘kaka ji’ would not be able to conduct one state, one election. But now they can see that their ‘kaka ji’ is conducting these elections,” he said.Listing development claims, Sharma cited water and power projects, including Ramjal Setu Link Project and Yamuna water agreement, and allocations of Rs 5,500 crore for Indira Gandhi Canal and Gang Canal. He also referred to Dewas project (Rs 10,500 crore), Som-Kamla-Amba (Rs 4,500 crore), Mahi Dam (Rs 4,500 crore) and Brahmani River project (Rs 2,500 crore).On electricity, he claimed his govt added 12,000 MW in two-and-a-half years, compared to 3,900 MW in five years under the previous regime. “The state is becoming not a power-consuming state but a power-giving state,” he said.
