Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday expressed his disappointment after Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not declare Mangarh Dham a national monument, but shied away from attacking the BJP over the issue. Gehlot said the expectation could not be realised because “maybe, we asked for a lot.”
The prime minister was addressing a public meeting in Banswara district of Rajasthan when Gehlot, who was also present at the event, publicly requested him to declare Mangarh Dham a national monument.
"I was hoping that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would declare Mangarh Dham a national monument today, but the hope could not be fulfilled. Today or tomorrow, it will be declared a national monument," Gehlot told reporters after inaugurating the Pushkar Fair.
"Maybe, we asked for a lot. He (Modi) might have seen that politics is going on (on the issue), so wait for some time... today or tomorrow, the memorial will be declared a national monument. This is what I can say," he added.
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{{/usCountry}}While PM Modi was addressing the gathering, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) tweeted that the prime minister has declared the dham a national monument. Later in the day, the tweet was deleted.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) MP from Nagaur Hanuman Beniwal said Modi has disappointed the tribal people by not declaring Mangarh Dham a national monument.
"BJP leaders were also continuously propagating this (declaring Mangarh Dham a national monument), but it was not done by the prime minister due to which there is a huge disappointment among the people of the tribal area,” Beniwal, whose party is a former ally of the NDA, said.
He claimed that the BJP had mobilised tribal people from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the venue by promising them that the dham would be declared a national monument.
"But as usual, he only gave a speech,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)