Jaipur, Jan 16 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Rajasthan Assembly and veteran Congress leader, Tika Ram Jully, on Friday, launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government, alleging that deception and illusion have become the true political character of the BJP and constitutional institutions are being misused for electoral gains.

Addressing the media, LoP Jully described the BJP’s ‘VB-G RAM G’ public awareness campaign as nothing more than a “deception to mislead the public”, claiming that the party’s focus is not on public welfare but on winning elections by distorting schemes and institutions created for the people.

Raising serious concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Congress leader alleged that the BJP attempted to remove names of Congress-supporting voters from the electoral rolls.

“Due to the vigilance of Congress workers, this conspiracy was foiled,” Jully said, adding that it is worrying that the Election Commission now appears to be complicit.

The LoP questioned the decision to extend the deadline for filing objections under the SIR without any clear justification, calling it a deliberate attempt to give the BJP “a second opportunity to manipulate the voter list”.

He termed it a conspiracy to undermine democracy.

The LoP also criticised the move to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from MGNREGA, calling it a reflection of the BJP’s narrow-minded political thinking.

He said the UPA government, under Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, had given the legal right to employment to crores of poor families, while the BJP is now trying to reap political benefits by renaming schemes and invoking the name of Lord Ram for electoral purposes.

Terming the BJP’s claim of providing 125 days of employment as misleading, LoP Jully said the VB-G RAM G scheme had already been implemented during the previous Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan.

He accused the BJP of falsely projecting it as its own achievement and alleged that the introduction of a 60-day break rule is a ploy to deprive labourers of their rightful wages.

Taking a jibe at the renaming of the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) as ‘Ram Jal Setu’, LoP Jully said, “Lord Ram belongs to everyone, but the BJP has reduced him to a political tool.”

He added that merely changing the name will not quench the thirst of the people and reminded that despite being in power at the Centre, the BJP has failed to grant national project status to ERCP.

On completing two years as Leader of the Opposition in Rajasthan, Congress leader Jully thanked the people of the state and reiterated his commitment to raise public issues from the streets to the Assembly.

“I will always stand as a shield to protect democracy and the rights and dignity of every Rajasthani,” he said.

–IANS

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