BJP leaders instigating civil war in country: Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday alleged that leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party were instigating a civil war in the country.

Replying to a debate on Motion of Thanks on the governor's speech in the assembly, the chief minister claimed that the saffron party was trying to weaken democracy.

"People of the ruling party at the Centre are provoking a civil war. Where the country is heading?" he said.

Attacking the BJP for saying that the Congress was weakening democracy, Gehlot questioned how a party that got freedom for India and contributed to the making of the Constitution can do so?

He criticised controversial slogans like "desh ke gaddaron ko" raised during the BJP's campaign in Delhi.

"Here (in Rajasthan) also, it was said that chief minister was spreading anarchy," Gehlot said.

The Rajasthan chief minister was referring to the BJP's criticism of a peace march which he took out against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December last year.

He said in Uttar Pradesh, 15 were killed in violence during anti-CAA protests.

Gehlot cited UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's controversial remark that his government would take "revenge" from those who indulged in violence during the anti-CAA protests by making them pay for the damage they caused to state property.

He asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah had opposed Adityanath's remarks.

"Did they say he was not following 'Raj dharma'," Gehlot said, referring to a remark made by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Gujarat riots when Modi was the chief minister of that state.

Expressing concern about the economic situation in the country, he said economy is in the ICU and economists have also agreed on this, but the BJP government at the Centre is trying to hide its failure.

He claimed that the state share of fund was slashed by Rs 17,000 crore by the Centre.

Taking note of the work done by his government, the chief minister said, "Recruitment for 34,243 posts has been done, recruitment process for 34,527 posts is going on and notifications for recruitment on 45,773 posts have been issued."

He said the Congress government in the state engaged 30 lakh people under the MGNREGA scheme in one year.

"The former UPA government brought the Right to Information (RTI) Act, but the Centre diluted it. The budget of MGNREGA is being decreased. It was a revolutionary decision to bring MGNGREA but it is being politicised now," Gehlot claimed.

Talking about the recent locust attack in the state, he said the department dealing with it comes under the Centre but the Congress government is also doing everything possible to help those affected.

He said state's Agriculture Minister Lal Chand Kataria visited the affected areas.

Crop on over 1.49 lakh hectares has been damaged in various districts due to the locust attack since May, Kataria had informed the state assembly on Monday.

He, however, said no significant damage was caused to the kharif crop due to a prompt action by authorities when swarms of locust entered Jaisalmer on May 21 last year.

On the law and order issue raised by the Opposition, the chief minister said the state government's decision to get FIRs registered with SP offices in case local police station refuses to file the case had a good impact and more FIRs were being registered in police stations.

He said as many as 187 FIRs have been registered with SP offices so far.

"SHOs know that a complaint will be filed against them if they refuse to register an FIR," he said.

The chief minister said his government's priority will now be the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which is aimed at providing water to 13 districts of the state.

After the chief minister's reply, the Motion of Thanks was passed by voice-vote.