BJP national vice-president Satpal Malik on Wednesday said the ruling Congress in Rajasthan is re-inaugurating those schemes by its president Sonia Gandhi, which were started during the BJP Government and were shelved when the Congress came to power in 2008. “This is nothing but to fool the common man ahead of the Assembly elections,” he said.
Talking to mediapersons, Malik said Sonia is set to lay the foundation stone of Nagaur lift Irrigation Scheme at Jayal on Thursday. This seven-phase and `3,200-crore scheme to provide drinking and irrigation water in Nagaur district, was sanctioned and started by the previous BJP Government way back in 2006. But it was shelved by the present Government. Now, the same scheme is being launched and for that Sonia has been invited. He said, “Interestingly, no fresh survey was carried out and no tenders has been invited to start the work on the scheme.”
By laying the foundation stone of the scheme, the Congress wants to take its credit, though the works on the scheme would actually be started by the next Government,” he said.
According to Malik, the exodus of local leaders of predominant Jat community from the Congress has forced its leadership to lure them back. During the Suraj Sankalp Yatra in the areas by State party president Vasundhara Raje, over 100 panches and sarpanches, joined the BJP. Only on Tuesday, another 150 prominent Jat leaders had come to the BJP fold. This had panicked the ruling party, as it was losing its support in the politically influential community, in this region of the State.
Present during the media interaction, BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria said that cash transfer schemes of the State Government were nothing but misuse of Government funds for the party.
He said the Government had announced to provide laptop to meritorious students to improve their computer skill. Since it failed to procure sufficient number of laptops, it is now giving `6,000 to each meritorious student without ensuring that the money would be used for purchasing laptops. There are chances that this money would be used by the family for some other purpose instead, he said.
Kataria said similarly giving `1,500 to each of the BPl families, in lieu of sari and blanket, was nothing but bribing to the electorate ahead of elections.
He said that the Government had denied the public sector BHEl the contracts for super thermal power plants, despite it emerged as a successful bidder. This was done to oblige some private players to get the contract. This has resulted in delay of setting up four super thermal power plants by four and half years.
Kataria said despite allocating nearly half of its Budget in the successive years for building these power plants, not a single paisa was spent. This has resulted in failure of the Government to increase power production in the State during the past four and half years.