Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and others at a public meeting during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Alwar on Monday.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Ministers in the Rajasthan Cabinet should be seen on the roads, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said, at a public meeting in Alwar on Monday. He urged Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to ensure that his Cabinet members walk at least 15 km once a month across the 33 districts of the State for a better understanding of people’s problems and redress their grievances.
Mr. Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra is at the fag end of its journey in Rajasthan and will be entering Haryana on December 21.
He hailed the Ashok Gehlot government for its pro-poor schemes listing out the health insurance scheme – Chiranjeevi, the distribution of free sanitary napkins and the urban employment guarantee scheme. But while patting the government Mr. Gandhi said that those in power should also be ready to hear bitter criticism. He implored the Gehlot government to improve its connect with the people.
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“In the yatra, there is a rope within which stand the senior leaders and outside of which are the local body leaders, the district level leaders and so on. This rope needs to be broken. The voice of our workers… our local leaders… Should be heard at government offices. And more importantly, the voice of common citizens should be heard at every government office in Rajasthan,” Mr. Gandhi said.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra he said, is not a journey, it is a thought process. He urged the Rajasthan government to emulate it. “Once a month, the entire Cabinet should walk on the roads of Rajasthan. All of you have shown that you can walk for 25 km a day. Maybe not 25 km but at least walk 15 km, only then will you come face-to-face with the people’s problems and issues,” Mr. Gandhi said. His comments were met with a loud cheer by a deliriously happy crowd.
The yatra has covered nearly 3,000 km, Mr. Gandhi said that many have asked about the agenda of his yatra. Speaking in Hindi, he said, “ nafrat ke bazzar mein mohabbat ki dukan kholne chala hun” (In the market of hatred I am opening a shop of love).
The public meeting was also attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Ashok Gehlot, senior leader Sachin Pilot, party general secretaries Jairam Ramesh and K.C. Venugopal, among others.
During his speech, Mr. Gehlot announced that his government would soon be slashing the cost of the LPG cylinder and it would be available for ₹500. Though he did not divulge any details on whether it would be universally available for all or only for select beneficiaries. He hinted that his government’s possibly last budget would be packed with another set of welfare schemes this time targeting the youth.
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