Will send PM a copy: Rajasthan CM Gehlot hits back at Modi, says his state budget is a "model" for others

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday called his state budget a “model” for others to follow and offered to send a copy to the Centre, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi poked fun over a goof-up during his budget presentation.

At a rally in Rajasthan’s Dausa on Sunday, Modi picked on a blunder at the Rajasthan Budget presentation Friday, when Gehlot mistakenly read portions of the last year’s budget. The PM taunted that the Congress lacks vision and its announcements remain just on paper.

Gehlot said he rectified his mistake within “34 seconds”, and claimed that the BJP is rattled by his government’s performance in the state that goes to the polls this year-end.

"I can send the copy of the Budget to the prime minister and he can send it to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. They will realise that our budget is a model budget,” the Rajasthan CM told PTI.

“The budget we presented in Rajasthan can become a model budget for the country. We have taken care of all sections, all families. I can claim that such a budget is rare,” he added.

During the interview, the chief minister also played down divisions within the Congress in Rajasthan, where he and his former deputy Sachin Pilot have been at loggerheads. Pilot had led a rebellion in 2020 for a change of leadership in the state.