Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot’s welfare blitz leaves BJP gasping for poll issues

JAIPUR: Six months before the elections in December this year, does the BJP run short of issues in Rajasthan? The question is being exchanged in political circles given the silence being adopted by the saffron party while the ruling Congress is claiming to be making a comeback. While Congress is tallying its scores and writing success stories through OPS, health and social security, BJP surprisingly seems to be sitting silent and not making any strong case on the ground except Modi’s old face Used to be. Rising crime, false promises of loan waiver etc.

Sources told IANS that the top leadership also wanted local leaders to emerge with new ideas after the Karnataka episode. These thoughts should read the pulse of the common man, but till date all the leaders seem to be unaware of it. The Congress government’s inflation relief camp had distributed over 5.09 crore guarantee cards till Friday evening, while the number of families benefited has crossed 1.11 crore. The relief camps being set up by the state government are touching the heights of success and setting new records everyday. Officials said that the enthusiasm of the people towards the camps is such that in less than a month, the figure of guarantee card distribution has crossed 5 crore.

According to the data received till Friday evening, 39.01 lakh in Indira Gandhi Gas Cylinder Subsidy Scheme, 66.51 lakh in Chief Minister’s Free Domestic Electricity Scheme, 7.23 lakh in Chief Minister’s Free Agricultural Electricity Scheme, 73.32 lakh in Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme, Free Annapurna Food Packet Scheme. 42.86 lakh have been registered under Chief Minister Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and more than 3.86 lakh under Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme. Similarly, 36.69 lakhs have been registered in Social Security Pension Scheme, 61.68 lakhs in Chief Minister Kamdhenu Insurance Scheme, 89.20 lakhs in Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and 89.20 lakhs in Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Accidental Insurance Scheme.

IANS tried to reach BJP state president CP Joshi on the upcoming assembly elections, but did not get revert. Apart from this, other veteran leaders are also silent due to which the party workers are confused. Former CM Vasundhara Raje is keeping herself busy by visiting different places and attacking the Gehlot government whenever she feels like it. In fact, even on his absence from the state executive meeting in Ladnun on Saturday, people’s eyebrows were raised.

Recently, the party made CP Joshi the state president in place of Satish Poonia. The idea was to break the factions as sources claimed that all was not well between Poonia and Raje. However, even after this change, the leaders of the party seem to be working in their own capacity and so far no such strong issue has come to the fore, from which the victory of the party can be predicted. However, the party workers are confident that they will win as the people here never allow any single party to repeat its government.

Meanwhile, the BJP leaders who claimed to be the CM face a few months ago have kept silence for the time being. However, all of them are working and raising different issues on their own, due to which not a single issue is being strengthened. Recently, party workers organized Hanuman Chalisa in 250 wards of Jaipur to protest against the alleged negligence of the Gehlot government, due to which the Rajasthan High Court acquitted all the accused in the Jaipur serial blasts case.

Even party leaders discussed why not organize an event alone to make a mark. At such a crucial time, lack of teamwork is also denting the prospects of the saffron party. Party sources said party leaders were busy in Karnataka till date. Now, he will focus on Rajasthan and depute experienced leaders to look into issues that can help win the desert state.

Once the month of May is over, you will see a difference in the functioning of the party. It is true that we could not fight the issue of 40 per cent commission created by the Congress in Karnataka, however, here we will fight back to let the lotus bloom. Recently, state BJP president CP Joshi said in a statement, “It is jungle raj in Rajasthan, but people have unwavering faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This shows that the party will fight the elections on the face of Modi.”

Meanwhile, all eyes are on the issues on which the saffron party will field the social security schemes being launched by the Gehlot government.