Published By: Kavya Mishra
Last Updated: October 03, 2023, 21:54 IST
Gehlot said people will believe Modi only after he implements welfare schemes initiated by the Rajasthan government. (Photo/PTI)
Gehlot said people will believe Modi only after he implements welfare schemes initiated by the Rajasthan government, including the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), at the central level
A day after Narendra Modi gave a “guarantee” that no state government scheme will be discontinued if the BJP comes to power in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday said the PM cannot be trusted as his party has scrapped Congress government projects in the past.
Gehlot said people will believe Modi only after he implements welfare schemes initiated by the Rajasthan government, including the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), at the central level.
Modi said at a rally in Chittorgarh on Monday that Gehlot has already conceded defeat in the upcoming assembly elections by requesting him not to scrap the welfare schemes started by the Congress in Rajasthan, and gave a “guarantee” that the BJP will not discontinue them.
Virtually addressing a ceremony for the inauguration and laying of foundation stones of development projects in Rajsamand, Gehlot said, “You (Modi) gave an evasive answer. You did not say that the OPS, which has been implemented in Rajasthan, will be implemented (at the central level).”
“You did not say that the government here is providing an insurance of Rs 25 lakh and you would implement this scheme. You did not say that you would make a social security law and give a pension of at least Rs 1,000 to those eligible. You also did not say that the state government is providing a gas cylinder for Rs 500 and you would also do that,” he said.
The chief minister claimed many projects initiated by his previous government were stopped by the BJP after it came to power in the state.
“Who can trust you… that what you are saying will be implemented? Implement it at the central level first and then we will believe you,” Gehlot said.
He further said, “You (Modi) have indirectly said that you will continue our welfare schemes. Who knows what is your definition of a welfare scheme?” Speaking about his government’s public welfare schemes, Gehlot said Rajasthan has become a state in which every house in every village is a beneficiary of such initiatives.
Today, the Congress government is doing excellent work for social security and 1 crore people in the state are being given pensions.
The Rajasthan Assembly elections are due to be held later this year.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
