Rajasthan hitting bottom in progress due to Gehlot's focus on saving 'kursi': Shekhawat

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday highlighted the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's achievements and targeted Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying his prime focus was on saving his ''kursi'' (chair) while the state was hitting the bottom in progress.

He said the Congress government in the state has ''completely failed'' in implementing schemes, including those centrally-sponsored.

Sekhawat, a senior BJP leader and an MP from Jodhpur, alleged that Chief Minister Gehlot has announced to provide subsidy on cooking gas to those living below poverty line and 2,000 units of free electricity to farmers just to divert public attention from the incidents of atrocities against Dalit and tribal women as well as deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

These announcements are also aimed at hiding the failures of the Congress government in Rajasthan, he added.

''Rajasthan is today standing at the bottom in terms of progress in the state due to the state government's focus being more on saving 'kursi' than addressing the development needs,'' the Union Jal Shakti Minister charged at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

''The state government has completely failed in the implementation of the schemes including those of the central government,'' he added.

Asked about the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Rajasthan, the minister said the coverage of the tap water supply in the state still stands at about 39 per cent as the government there failed to properly plan implementation of the scheme despite the Centre allocating funds for it.

Highlighting the achievements of the Modi government since 2014, Shekhawat claimed that there has been a ''visible change'' in the lives of the people over the nine years as the benefits of the welfare schemes, launched by the Centre, are reaching the last person.

The entire country and the world is acknowledging the work done under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi for the development of the country, he said.

''The result of the prime minister's vision of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka prayas' is visible today. The country is touching the new heights of development,'' he added.

The minister alleged that 10 years of the Congress-led UPA rule at the Centre was marked by ''scams after scams'' and during this period, India was seen as ''a weak nation'' due to the erstwhile regime's ''failures on all fronts'', including economy and diplomacy.

After coming at helm in 2014, he said, the Prime Minister Modi's government re-established people's faith in the system and brought change in the lives of common people keeping ''India first'' approach at the centre of the decision making process.

''A change came in the lives of poor and common people. The schemes were launched keeping in mind that their benefits reach the last person in the country without any discrimination,'' Shekhawat said.

''Such a foreign policy was formulated under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi that India's interest can not be ignored at any of the platforms, be it Common Wealth or United Nations,'' he added.