Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh on Thursday accused the Vasundhara Raje government of getting “distracted” from vital issues while attempting to find faults with its predecessor Congress regime, PTI reported. A Congress-led government again replaced Raje’s Bharatiya Janata Party last month.
“The former [Raje] government got distracted over useless issues like finding flaws of its previous government,” Singh said during his address at the first session of the new Assembly. He said that the economic growth in the state slowed under Raje.
“As a result of which the annual average economic growth rate, which was 8.16% in 2009-’10 to 2013-’14 reduced to 7.19% in 2014-’15 to 2017-’18,” Singh said. “The average increase in per capita income was 14.95% from 2009-’10 to 2013-’14 but it reduced to 9.68% during 2014-’15 to 2017-’18.”
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, who is the chief minister now, had earlier held the post from 2008 to 2013.
Due to the Raje government’s “wrong policies”, Singh claimed that the growth rate in the agriculture sector had declined to 3.95% in 2017-’18 from 8.94% in 2013-’14.
The new governor said the state’s debt and liabilities had increased from Rs 1.29 lakh crore in 2013-’14, when the Congress was in power. “This is estimated to be Rs 3.08 lakh crore in 2018-’19 due to financial mismanagement and the short-sighted vision of the former government,” he said.
Singh highlighted the priorities of the new state government, led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, for the next 100 days. It will work towards making farmers economically empowered, generate employment in the animal husbandry and dairy sectors, set up a farmers’ commission, and tackle problems related to cow shelters, he said.
Singh said the government will strengthen panchayati raj institutions and create more jobs under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in the next five years.
Address marred by disruptions
Singh’s address was interrupted after Rashtriya Loktantrik Party President Hanuman Beniwal and two other MLAs from his party rushed into the Well of the House. Beniwal then climbed on to a platform near the Assembly secretary’s desk and continued to raise demands for the procurement of moong beans from farmers.
Although Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal requested Singh to table the speech, the governor continued speaking and congratulated the newly-elected legislators. But after reading a few lines, he tabled the speech.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MLAs again entered the Well of the House later, where they were countered by BJP legislators shouting slogans.
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