Jodhpur: Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday accused the BJP and RSS of inciting people to violence in the name of religion and asserted that the agenda of Hindutva won’t come into play in the poll-bound state.
Gehlot said this while interacting with the media in Jalore, a day after he conducted an aerial survey of cyclone affected areas in Barmer, Jalore and Sirohi districts.
“The BJP-RSS believe in violence. They provoke people in the name of religion. They ask for votes in the name of religion and cows, but we do not,” he said.
Gehlot claimed that it was his government which set up a directorate for cows, issued nine months’ grant for the ‘gau shalas’ (cow sheds), gave Rs 40,000 for each cow that died of lumpy skin disease and provided free treatment and medicines for the cattle but “never sought votes in the name of cows”.
“So aren’t we Hindu? We have more faith in Hinduism than them. We have done service to ‘gau mata’,” he said.
He said that the BJP-RSS “agenda of Hindutva will not be allowed to work In Rajasthan”.
“People from all castes and religions will fight elections and do politics in Rajasthan in harmony, strengthen democracy and protect the right of votes,” he said.
He also claimed that many in BJP-RSS have nothing to do with Hinduism and they have become Hindu just to build Ram temple and do politics of religion.
He said further that the country is in crisis today and a “very dangerous game is being played in the country, which has torn apart the Constitution and endangered democracy”.
Talking about the intolerance to criticism, Gehlot schooled the BJP-RSS to endure criticism, terming it the “jewel of democracy”.
“They cannot endure criticism. I appeal to BJP-RSS and other NDA leaders to endure criticism. How will you get feedback otherwise?”, he asked, claiming that he always welcomes criticism and improves himself.
While referring to various schemes of his government, Gehlot said “Rajasthan was never in news in Delhi, neither in Parliament nor out of it but today it is being talked about in every state for its unique schemes”.
“Today, many states have Rajasthan in mind while drafting their election manifestos. I am sure that if not the first, but Rajasthan will be among top states in the country by 2030,” he said.
The Rajasthan Assembly polls are due later this year.
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