Around 147 kilometres away from Jodhpur and surrounded by sand dunes is a hamlet — Ridmalsar — that falls under the Jodhpur Lok Sabha constituency.
In the parched lands (more sand to be precise), where water is valued as gold, Union Jal Shakti Minister and local candidate Gajendra Shekhawat touched the raw nerve of the people as he said: “The Centre gave Rajasthan Rs 27,000 crore for water connection in every house, but Ashok Gehlot didn’t let it happen.”
Making a no-holds-barred charge against the former Rajasthan chief minister, Shekhawat told News18 that Gehlot had ‘political intent’ to block the scheme in the state. In rally after rally, from Aau and Chadi to Ridmalsar, Shekhawat has been hitting on an issue that no one in India would understand better — water scarcity.
Sounding confident of a hattrick this time from Jodhpur, where he defeated Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav Gehlot last time, Shekhawat also reasoned why issues like abrogation of Article 370 or attack on Sanatan are as much an issue for western Rajasthan as anywhere in India.
Edited Excerpts:
You are talking about Article 370, Pakistan-sponsored terror, and piped water. Do you think they resonate here in the desert villages like the one you just addressed?
Naturally. The development that has happened under Modi-ji and the work to transform the lives of the downtrodden are relevant across the country. Larger issues like Article 370, Triple Talaq, CAA or Ram Mandir also resonate here. However, there is a localised issue that failed in the previous Rajasthan government.
Exactly my question here. You have been alleging how the Centre gave funds but Ashok Gehlot didn’t use them due to political considerations. What do you mean?
They delayed the Jal Jeevan Mission with a political intent. In four years, we gave Rajasthan almost Rs 27,000 crore, which is the highest in the country, and sanctioned projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore. One crore connections were supposed to be given. The average expenditure to give one connection is Rs 1 lakh — five times the national average in Rajasthan . In my constituency Jodhpur and surrounding desert areas like Barmer, Jaisalmer, each connection costs Rs 2 lakh. In Jaisalmer, each connection costs Rs 2 lakh. Yet, the Centre gave special approvals for those connections here. But Gehlot chose to give priority to his political intent over mitigating the thirst of the desert.
But one may ask why would a sitting chief minister keep its people thirsty?
My question is when it can happen in other states, why not in Rajasthan? Each tender was cancelled thrice, they were repackaged three times or more than that. That is why it was delayed (in Rajasthan). The basic intent of derailment or non-performance of this scheme in Rajasthan was because of a political motive.
We aren’t very far from the border. Was this why you have been talking about Pakistan in every rally? Was it to highlight PM Modi’s ‘Ghar Mein Ghuske Maarenge’ comment?
Not only that. It is to compare the 10 years of UPA and NDA. In Manmohan Singh’s time, two kinds of news made it to the media regularly — corruption and terror attacks. Terror attacks were a very big concern across India. But now, after Pulwama, not a single large terror attack has happened.
Do you think the electorate in small hamlets like Chadi or Ridmalsar acknowledges that?
You have seen how they were clapping. Another issue for expressing their gratitude is every household in this desert sends a man to the Army or the CAPF. During the militancy period, so many of them laid down their lives in Kashmir. They are grateful for Article 370, knowing fully well that the root cause of terror in the Valley were 370 & 35A.
This morning, there was a post from your official X handle on Article 370. Is it an issue in Rajasthan as well?
It is an issue here. Let me tell you an anecdote. During my student politics days, one fellow asked me, “Have you ever been to Kashmir?” I said no. He counter questioned: ‘So why the big fuss about Kashmir?’ I told him: “My left eye hasn’t seen my right eye. But if my one eye faces a problem, the other is bound to get affected.”
In Ridmalsar, you have been speaking about how the opposition has abused Sanatan. Do you think that assumes significance given that in Udhampur, the prime minister himself raked up the issue of opposition leaders eating meat during Navratri and Savaan?
I don’t wish to comment on that. I am not aware of the context in which the prime minister made the statement. But I would say it is a matter of concern that the Sanatan Sanskriti that thousands and thousands of people have laid down their lives for is being abused. ‘Pidhiyan qurban ki hai humne’ [We have sacrificed generations.] Sacrifices were made for Gai, Ganga, Gauri, Geeta and Gayatri. In every village of western Rajasthan, you will find one ‘devli’ that is in memory of someone who laid his life for any of the five. So, it means a lot for the people of Rajasthan as well as India.
Talking about your constituency, in 2019, Vaibhav Gehlot was your opponent. This time, he is fighting from neighbouring Jalore. What do you think happened?
It’s their party’s prerogative who they field and from which seat. But it is a wider belief that if they would have been comfortable here, they would have contested from here. He lost by a huge margin to me. In 2019, Ashok Gehlot was a newly elected chief minister. He has great roots in this part of Rajasthan as he served six terms as MP and three terms as central minister. Despite that his son couldn’t win. This may have been the reason they shifted him from Jodhpur to Jalore.
Do you think the BJP will be able to get 25 out of 25 this time?
In 2019, Hanuman Beniwal was part of NDA. So, effectively, it was zero out of 25 for Congress. This time, the BJP will get 25 out of 25. In 2014, people were counting seats that they thought the BJP would lose. Some predicted 13-12 would be the result. But then came the results where BJP won 25 seats. In 2019, NDA won 25. This time, the difference will be that the victory margin will be very high.
You are essentially talking about your hattrick.
God is kind and the people of Jodhpur love me.