Jaipur: A large number of BJP leaders and workers on Tuesday staged a protest against the Congress government in Rajasthan over issues such as crime against women and recruitment examination question paper leaks, with the police using water cannons to prevent them from marching to the state secretariat in Jaipur.
The demonstration was held under the BJP’s “Nahi Sahega Rajasthan” (Rajasthan will not tolerate) campaign in the run-up to the assembly polls expected to be held in November-December.
Reacting to the protest rally, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that the BJP leaders levelled false allegations to defame Rajasthan and cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on crime against women to target BJP-ruled states.
A large number of BJP workers from various parts of the state joined the protest. They charged that the secretariat has become a centre of corruption.
At the Statue Circle near the secretariat, the party workers crossed one row of barricades and moved towards the second row. To prevent them from marching ahead, the police used water cannons.
After the protest, the party leaders courted arrest.
While the party workers marched on foot, BJP state president C P Joshi, leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore, deputy leader of opposition Satish Poonia, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and other leaders were on a “rath” (mini bus) behind them.
They later sat on a dharna at the Statue Circle in protest against the state government.
“People are ready to throw out the government in elections. The secretariat has become a centre of corruption. Cash was found in almirah at the secretariat but no action was taken against the main culprits,” BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena charged.
A police official said that the situation was efficiently handled by police personnel and no force except water cannons were used.
“It was a political demonstration and there was no action like lathi-charge…. Only water cannons were used,” Kunwar Rashtradeep, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) of the Jaipur Police Commissionerate, said.
Prior to the march, the BJP leaders addressed the party workers outside the party office and accused the Congress of doing politics of appeasement and attacked its government in the state on issues of law and order and question paper leak cases.
People have been suffering under the Congress government as crime has increased, BJP national general secretary Arun Singh alleged.
He also targeted the state government over government recruitment exam question paper leak cases.
“People are ready to throw the Congress out of power in the upcoming (assembly) elections,” Singh said.
BJP state president C P Joshi accused the Congress of doing appeasement politics and demanded a reply from Chief Minister Gehlot over the “red diary” issue.
Sacked minister Rajendra Singh Gudha had alleged that a “red diary”, which was in his possession, had the details of financial transactions of Chief Minister Gehlot.
In an apparent reference to the injury sustained by the chief minister, BJP leader and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said Gehlot was sitting in his residence with bandage on his feet but this bandage will be removed by people in elections.
When a tire is punctured by a nail, it is changed, he added.
Shekhawat told reporters later that Gehlot was not moving to avoid appearance in a case of defamation that he filed against him in Delhi.
The Union minister also targeted the state government over recruitment examination question paper leaks.
After the demonstration, the chief minister tweeted some NCRB data regarding law and order in BJP-ruled states.
Gehlot said that the issues of women in Rajasthan are being addressed properly and in a timely manner and the police are taking strict action in cases of crime against them.
“Only to divert attention from the failures in Manipur and other BJP-ruled states, BJP leaders at the Centre and the state are making false allegations to defame Rajasthan,” he said.
Gehlot claimed that the highest numbers of rape and cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were registered in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.
“In comparison to 2019, crimes against women have decreased in Rajasthan in 2021 while such crimes increased in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
He also alleged that ABVP office-bearers and workers were accused in a case of gangrape in Jodhpur.
Hitting back at Gehlot for his tweet, BJP state president Joshi said that the chief minister was afraid.
“Why are you (CM) so afraid? The public is seeking answers from you. The youth are seeking answers on paper leaks, farmers is crying that you deceived him,” Joshi told reporters at the party office in the evening.
Referring to the chief minister’s tweet, he said that there is no leader in the country who stands with rapists.
Leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said that people came from all over the state in 2,100 buses and 7,500 small vehicles to participate in the demonstration, which showed the resentment among people against the Congress government.
“CM of Rajasthan is showing concerns for Uttar Pradesh, Assam but the figures of the state police department are saying that rape cases have increased,” he said.
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