Jaipur, March 31 (IANS) Continuing his criticism of the BJP government in Rajasthan, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday targeted the Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma-led administration for suspending the construction of a guest house at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) in Jaipur.
In the ninth chapter of his digital series “Intezaar Shastra”, Gehlot questioned the BJP government over the suspension of the works at RIC, a project initiated during the previous Congress government.
Posting on X, Gehlot said, “Why did the BJP government halt the work on the ‘guest house’ of that Rajasthan International Centre (RIC), where PM Modi and French President Macron participated in an event and appreciated it?”
“Magnificent events are taking place at RIC, guests are arriving, but by withholding the budget for the guest house, the government is squandering public money on expensive hotels,” he said.
“What kind of negative politics is this? Is this a repetition of 2014, when the previous BJP government had stopped the work on RIC, and it resumed only after the Congress government came to power?” he asked.
A video shared along with the post highlighted the RIC building and noted that its foundation stone was laid on April 19, 2013, with an allocation of Rs 130 crore. The project was conceptualised along the lines of the India Habitat Centre in Delhi and was intended to host cultural events, exhibitions and seminars.
The video further claimed that the project was stalled after the BJP came to power in 2014 and was later revived by the Congress government in 2019. The centre was inaugurated on April 17, 2023, and has since hosted several national and international events.
It also stated that a guest house project at the RIC, with a proposed cost of ₹40 crore, was initiated during the Congress tenure to accommodate participants. However, funds for the project were allegedly halted by the current BJP government, leaving it incomplete.
The “Intezaar Shastra” series, launched by Gehlot, highlights projects initiated or completed during the Congress government that he claims are now stalled under the present regime.
–IANS
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