Gehlot criticises Rajasthan govt for 'failing' to control criminals, corruption

Jaipur, Jul 8 (PTI) Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused the Rajasthan government of failing to control criminal elements and rampant corruption, and neglecting key welfare schemes.

He called on Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma to take urgent action before public faith in the administration is irreparably damaged.

Citing reports of repeated thefts at Congress MLA Deen Dayal Bairwa's residence, Gehlot said the scale of the problem is now impossible to ignore.

"A newspaper has carried this news on the front page. The MLA says there have been three thefts at his home. When a newspaper puts it on the front page, you can imagine what the situation must be like for others in the state. No one is listening," Gehlot told reporters at the Congress headquarters here on the occasion of the birth anniversary of late party leader Girija Vyas.

Gehlot accused the government of failing to control criminal elements and protecting citizens.

"There is no hearing even in villages and districts. There is hooliganism, the mafia are dominant and people do not know where to go to file complaints. The entire complaint system has collapsed," he said.

He expressed alarm over the growing power of the sand mafia.

"I have said before that the mafia has taken over the gravel trade. Gravel is extremely expensive now. Police are being attacked. So many incidents are happening and there is no control," he charged.

Gehlot also criticised the government's handling of health insurance for the poor.

"The Rs 25 lakh insurance cover technically still exists, but people have been led to believe that it has been reduced to Rs 5 lakh. That's the government's biggest failure," he said.

He also lamented the weakening of the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS) scheme for state employees.

"The RGHS was such an excellent scheme for employees. It has collapsed now and the employees are unhappy," he added.

Gehlot urged the CM to use the state's intelligence services to verify the issues raised by the opposition.

"If there's no truth to them (issues raised by the opposition), fine. But if there is truth, he should fix them," he said.

Gehlot further claimed that governance was being neglected in favour of public relations.

"It's fine to travel and do tours, but you also need to govern. The chief minister has great authority. He needs to use that power," the Congress leader said.

"We are public property. The public should be able to raise complaints with us at any time, otherwise you will get a bad name and fail at governance," Gehlot said.

He further said that his criticism was meant as constructive advice and not hostility.

"The opposition is not your enemy. When we speak, it is to warn you that these things are happening. You should take us seriously. It is in your interest too," Gehlot said. PTI AG DIV DIV