Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly targeting the Congress party during an official government function in Ajmer. He also stated that opposing a political leader does not amount to opposing the nation.
Gehlot termed PM Modi’s remarks as “politically motivated” and inappropriate for a government platform, stating that such events should focus on public interest issues rather than partisan attacks. He said using an official function to criticise the Congress diverts attention from key governance matters.
He further emphasised that opposing a political leader does not amount to opposing the nation, urging the Prime Minister to maintain the dignity of constitutional offices and government platforms. Gehlot also accused the BJP government of failing to address important state issues while engaging in political rhetoric, adding that the people of Rajasthan were aware of the ground realities.
“Today in Ajmer, the comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the Congress party are a symbol of his political desperation. For those belonging to an ideology that did not sacrifice even a fingernail in the freedom struggle, to level allegations of dividing the country against the Congress a party with a glorious history of leading the freedom movement is ridiculous.
"PM Modi must remember that opposing him is not the same as opposing the country. He should not make the mistake of considering himself greater than the nation. It is saddening that he used an official government platform solely for narrow political gains.
The public was expecting him to speak on issues of public interest raised in my letter. Does he not want the entire country to receive the ‘Right to Health’ like Rajasthan?," he asked. "Does he have no interest in transformative decisions such as the Gig Workers Welfare Act and the Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme?
The BJP government has merely changed the name of the ERCP but has done no substantial work on it. The people of Rajasthan are fully aware of the truth. Instead of playing politics over paper leaks, he should have appreciated Rajasthan’s stringent anti-paper leak law, which includes provisions such as life imprisonment, a fine of Rs 10 crore, and confiscation of the culprits’ property.
This law has set an example for the country," he added. "Rather than misleading the youth through politics, he should have spoken about implementing such a strict law at the Central Government level. The BJP government has not even shown the courage to investigate the OMR sheet scam that occurred during its own tenure in Rajasthan.
"It would have been better if he had stood by his guarantee given during the Assembly elections to not shut down Congress government schemes, and directed the Chief Minister to restart those closed schemes. Today, the hollow slogan of ‘Double Engine’ is proving to be ‘Double Zero’ in Rajasthan,” Gehlot concluded.