BJP-Vasundhara Raje tiff cost ERCP national status says CM Ashok Gehlot

     Jaipur, Oct 16 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday took a dig at the BJP-led Union government for not giving the East Rajasthan Canal Project a central project status, saying why it was making the state suffer over its differences with Vasundhara Raje.
     "You are angry with Vasundhara Raje but why are you cheating the public?" he said addressing a public rally in Baran.
     The rally, held to launch a public awareness campaign on the ERCP, was also addressed by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
     Gehlot said that the work on ERCP was started when Vasundhara Raje was the chief minister of Rajasthan but despite promises, the central government did not give it a national project status.
     Rajasthan is up for assembly polls in November and the ruling Congress is trying to make ERCP a big issue to rally support.
     Gehlot in his speech also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of going back on his promise. He said that despite the people of the state giving all 25 MPs to the NDA in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, people of the state did not receive anything in return.
     The ERCP is supposed to provide irrigation water to 2 lakh hectares of land and drinking water to 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan.
     "We have been demanding for five years that the project be given national status but the central government is adamant on not declaring it as such. The issue has touched a chord with every household in eastern Rajasthan," Gehlot said.
     Former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, who has been at loggerheads with party colleague Gehlot over his leadership, did not participate in the event.
     The rest of the top brass, including Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi, State party in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and Congress State President Govind Singh Dotasara attended the programme.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)