The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Congress fires salvoes as Raje regime completes one year

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Friday, Dec 03, 2004

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Congress fires salvoes as Raje regime completes one year

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, DEC. 2. As the Bharatiya Janata Party Government in Rajasthan led by Vasundhara Raje gears up to celebrate one year in power next week, the main Opposition, the Congress, has termed the past one year as "very disappointing'' and reflective of "feudal times''. When there was nothing to celebrate, the Government was planning to spend crores of rupees on the publicity of its achievements, the party charged.

The Raje Government not only failed to live up to its promises in education, employment, revival of the sick industrial units and in power and irrigation water supply but also opened fire on farmers killing five of them, said the general secretary of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, Hari Mohan Sharma, and Chandra Shekhar Vaid, MLA, talking to mediapersons here today. The Congress leaders produced a list of areas where the Government did poorly during its first year.

"It has been the return of the 'samant shahi' or the rule of the feudals in Rajasthan. The Chief Minister herself likes to be addressed as `Maharani','' Dr.Vaid pointed out. The Chief Minister did not care to visit the areas of the Sahariya Adivasis when there were reports of starvation deaths but instead chose to ride in a procession from the City Palace in Jaipur reviving a bygone tradition on the occasion of the Dusshera,'' he added.

"The very functioning of the State Government is dictatorial. The MLAs who sought information from various departments are being denied that. The questions from the MLAs put up when the Assembly is not in session are also not being answered,'' Dr.Vaid said charging that those in power lacked transparency.

The Congress leaders pointed out to the presence of as many as nine "tainted'' Ministers in the Raje Government. The law and order situation in the State had deteriorated after the BJP took power in the State. From January to November this year, there had been a seven per cent increase in the crime in Rajasthan, they said. The police administration was feeling demoralised after the Government withdrew 150 pending cases, including those against the Ministers, they charged.

"Present dispensation has failed in the responsibilities of an elected Government. The farmers are not getting irrigation water in a predominantly agricultural State like Rajasthan while the industrial sector, despite the promises in the Vision Document of the Government, continues to be in the doldrums,'' Mr.Sharma argued.

The Government failed in negotiating for the legitimate share of Rajasthan in the inter-State river waters with the BJP-ruled States of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat but kept on making noises about the water from Punjab. Rajasthan was being deprived of its share of water from the Chambal river following the construction of a dam by Madhya Pradesh in the catchment area of the Gandhi Sagar Project. The State did not take up the issue with Madhya Pradesh Government, they charged.

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