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Rajasthan election: Gehlot kickstarts yatra on Congress’s poll promises
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday flagged off a Congress Guarantee Yatra to make voters aware of the party’s seven election promises, as he exuded confidence that the government’s performance in the last five years will help it retain power in the desert state.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday flagged off a Congress Guarantee Yatra to make voters aware of the party’s seven election promises, as he exuded confidence that the government’s performance in the last five years will help it retain power in the desert state.
The 12-day yatra, which seeks to cover 140 out of 200 assembly constituencies, kicked off from Jaipur, after Gehlot offered prayers at Moti Dungri Temple. A large number of party leaders and workers took part in the foot march, while Gehlot, accompanied by Congress state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, travelled in a bus as part of the procession.
“No anti-incumbency can be seen against the Congress in Rajasthan in the upcoming elections. The people have faith in us as we do what we say,” Gehlot asserted.
Stating that the party will return to power on the basis of the work carried out by the government in the last five years, he said: “We have ensured the (fulfillment) of the 10 guarantees that we promised in the last election. Why will the people not go for these seven new guarantees? We will publicise these guarantees through this yatra now. People will decide whether we deserve to get their votes on the basis of the work that we have done.”
Voting in Rajasthan is scheduled to be held on November 25; the results will be announced on May 3.
The state is witnessing an intense battle between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The desert state usually votes out the incumbent every five years. But this time, Gehlot is hoping to put up a tough battle, using a bouquet of welfare and cash transfer schemes, and exploiting alleged factionalism in the BJP.
For this year’s election, the Congress has announced an annual allowance of ₹10,000 to the woman head of each family, subsidised gas cylinders at ₹500 for over 10 million households, free laptops or tablets for first-year students in government colleges, free English medium education, purchase of cow dung at ₹2 per kg to promote biogas production, a ₹15 lakh calamity insurance for Chiranjeevi families, and a law on the continuation of the Old Pension Scheme.
“We bought a series of schemes and laws in the last five years and provided the people with social security. The people will embrace these seven guarantees as well,” Gehlot said.
Randhawa said the party seeks to “reach out to every household across the constituencies with these guarantees in this yatra, so that maximum number of people can avail them.”
The yatra passed through Panchwati circle, Pink square mall, Ghatgate, Sanganeri gate, Govind Devji temple, Badi Chaupad before culminating at Chhoti Chaupad in Jaipur. Party candidates of different assembly constituencies, including Archana Sharma of Malviya Nagar, took part in the yatra.
Randhawa hit out at the BJP for terming the Congress’s schemes and guarantees “revadi” (freebies). “If these are freebies, why can’t the BJP give it? Ye revadi mitha hai logo ke liye (People find these freebies sweet),” he said.
He said the party will soon publish its manifesto. “We will not make 500 to 700 promises. It will be a small manifesto and we will make sure we fulfill everything we promise,” he said.
He said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will attend a few road shows and meetings during the course of the yatra. “Around 137 guarantee-samvaadand over 1,000 guarantee camps will be set up at every constituency of the state,” he said.
The party also condemned the recent raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department on some of its leaders in various corruption cases.
“The agencies found all the corruption only after the implementation of the model code of conduct. I want to give you one more guarantee that Congress leaders whose houses were raided by ED will win the election with maximum margin,” Randhawa said.
BJP spokesperson Mukesh Pareek said: “This is not a fight against ED and I-T, it is a battle against graft, law and order, mafia, and violence against women.”
