BJP govt in Rajasthan rolling back Congress’ pro-people schemes, says Jairam Ramesh

The Congress on Tuesday, 23 April said its previous government in Rajasthan introduced schemes that provided crucial protection to vulnerable populations of the state and asked why the current BJP dispensation is "rolling back" those "pro-people" measures.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his election rally in Tonk-Sawai Madhopur.

"Questions for the PM as he heads to Tonk-Sawai Madhopur today: Why is the BJP scaling back INC’s pro-people schemes? How much corruption has the BJP committed in the ERCP? How long will families displaced by the Isarda Dam be denied compensation by the BJP?” Ramesh said in a post on X.

Elaborating on what he said were “jumla details”, Ramesh said when the Congress party was in power in Rajasthan, it passed a series of "visionary" laws that would meaningfully improve the quality of life of thousands in the state.

"The Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Act, the addition of 25 extra days for MGNREGA (Rural) over and above the sanctioned 100 days, the Indira Gandhi Shahari Rojgar Yojana Act which guaranteed 100 days of employment to families residing in urban areas, the Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare Act), and the Right to Health Act which provided universal health coverage - all these schemes provided crucial protections to vulnerable populations in the state," he said.

"Instead of these acts being implemented, we are now seeing a breakdown of governance since the BJP came to power in December 2023," Ramesh said.

At least 15.5 lakh pensioners in Rajasthan have stopped receiving their pensions since January this year due to “verification” issues, he claimed.

The government also attempted to reduce the health coverage from Rs 25 lakh under the Congress’ Chiranjeevi Yojana to just Rs 5 lakh under the BJP’s Ayushman Bharat, Ramesh alleged.

"In their vindictiveness, why is the BJP government rolling back the INC’s pro-people schemes?" he said.

Ramesh said, BJP leader and Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena has "accused his own government of corruption” in connection with the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

“He (Meena) alleged that the Water Resources Department and the ERCP Commission have colluded with a Delhi-based company to scam the government of Rs 35 crore.

"According to a letter that Meena wrote to the Rajasthan CM, land worth Rs 50 crore was sold to the Delhi company for just Rs 9 crore, and Rs 35 crore was pocketed by government officials. He also alleged irregularities in the auction of land located near the Alwar main road for the ERCP project,” Ramesh said.

“One can only imagine how deeply corrupt the BJP has become for its own leaders to now be crying foul. Are they just following the example of the PM and his Rs 4 lakh crore Chanda Do Dhandha Lo model of corruption?” the Congress leader said.

Ramesh said the Isarda Dam is now 75 per cent complete but the BJP government is yet to rehabilitate and resettle the 37 villages that were submerged by the dam.

“Farmers from Tonk and Sawai Madhopur have now submitted hundreds of representations to the government demanding fair compensation but all their efforts have been in vain.

"The leader of the Kisan Mahasabha highlighted that compensation had not been determined by the district collector as per law, physical verifications were never conducted, and the farmers have not been adequately compensated for their immovable properties,” Ramesh said.

Despite striking an agreement with local administration in January, the farmers were forced to take to the streets in protest just a month later when their demands were not met, he said.

“The BJP government has taken away these families’ land and homes and left them with nothing. Till when is the BJP going to leave these families hanging?” Ramesh said and asked the prime minister to break his “silence” on these issues.