Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday targeted the ruling Congress in Rajasthan for the “power tussle” between rival factions, while leading a “Jan Ashirwad Yatra” for highlighting the achievements of the NDA government at the Centre. Mr. Yadav said the top leaders of the Congress were fighting for the chair.
The three-day yatra, which began from Bhiwadi in Alwar district, will cover a distance of 417 km and hold public dialogues at 40 places. The march will pass through the rural areas and the towns in Alwar and Jaipur districts and finish in Ajmer on Saturday.
Mr. Yadav, a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, has made his maiden entry into the State after his recent induction in the Union Cabinet. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, BJP State president Satish Poonia and other leaders accompanied Mr. Yadav in a specially-designed vehicle, painted in saffron colour, during the yatra.
Mr. Yadav alleged that the fight between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot had pushed back the development agenda and resulted in lack of governance and a poor law and order situation. “This is a meaningless tussle for power... It will cause a great harm to the rights of citizens and impede the State’s progress,” he said.
“Atmanirbhar Bharat”
The Union Minister, who also addressed a meeting of BJP workers at B.M. Birla Auditorium in Jaipur, said the opposition party would win the next State Assembly election and form the government in the State. He said the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken several decisions to improve people’s lives and was transforming India into “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
BJP workers escorted the yatra on motorcycles and cars fitted with loudspeakers and raised slogans in support of Mr. Yadav and the party. The march passed through Tapukara, Tijara, Kishangarh Bas, Khairthal, Bansur, Kotputli, Shahpura, Chandwaji and Achrol before entering the State Capital late in the evening.
Political observers said the yatra was being used for bringing Mr. Yadav, belonging to an Other Backward Class (OBC) community, into the mainstream politics in the State, where the BJP was ridden with factionalism. Mr. Yadav had planned former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s Swaraj Sankalp Yatra in 2013, which played a significant role in her victory in the Assembly polls.
The public dialogues during the yatra will also be used for reaching out to the farmers’ groups in the rural areas in an attempt to convince them to end their agitation against the agriculture sector laws. Besides, the appearance of Ms. Raje’s picture in the banners and posters put up for the march was seen as a strategy to end the rift between different camps in the party’s State unit.
