The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Rajasthan is spending Rs 7.23 crore on transportation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Jaipur on July 7, a letter issued by the state’s general administration department showed on Thursday, according to the Hindustan Times. A “huge amount of money” will also be spent on other facilities such as food and accommodation, the report added.
Modi will meet about 2.5 lakh beneficiaries of several central government schemes, and launch a Smart City initiative at the rally. Transport, food and accommodation is being arranged for these beneficiaries. The state government will arrange 5,579 buses from various parts of Rajasthan to ferry attendees.
The government has also allotted Rs 24.10 lakh to the Barmer district administration, and district collectors have been asked to send 5,000 beneficiaries for the prime minister’s event.
The Bharatpur district administration has selected five beneficiaries who will speak to Modi, and are being trained on how to answer his questions positively. One of them, Manju Devi, later refused to take part. “I got two instalments of Rs 2,500 each after the birth of my daughter under the Raj Shri Scheme,” she said on Thursday. “I was told to give answers to Modi in positive and not ask any question.” Other beneficiaries, such as Umrao Singh, resident of Belara Kala village under Kumher block, confirmed that the administration had tutored them.
Rajasthan Deputy Director of Information Technology Satyanarayan Chouhan confirmed that five people had been tutored, and said the administration was trying to get some female students from schools and colleges on board.
‘Beneficiaries’ are all BJP workers, supporters: Congress
The Congress has claimed that the beneficiaries are all workers and supporters of the BJP. “The intention of the BJP behind gathering a crowd of BJP workers in the name of beneficiaries in an election year is to win the polls by hook or by crook,” former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said. However, Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Minister Rajendra Rathore denied the allegation.
An unidentified senior police officer told the Hindustan Times that the police was “concerned about the political ideology” of the attendees. The police want to prevent the kind of embarrassment Modi had to face in March when some people at his rally in Jhunjhunu waved black flags.
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