JP Nadda compares Ashok Gehlot to Roman emperor Nero over Jodhpur violence

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Tuesday slammed the Congress-led Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan over the recent communal clashes in the state and compared the Chief Minister to Roman emperor Nero. The BJP chief also alleged that when the communal violence erupted before Eid in Gehlot's home district of Jodhpur then the Chief Minister was celebrating his birthday.

"If I talk about Rajasthan today, it doesn't feel good but when we open newspapers, we see incidents of Karauli, Jodhpur, Jaipur or some other city. On one hand, we say our government is responsible and responsive. On the other hand, the day when people in Jodhpur were on the roads, on that day, Gehlot sahab was celebrating his birthday. When Rome was burning, Nero was playing the flute," Nadda said while addressing a party booth meeting of the Bikaner division in Suratgarh of the Sriganganagar district. Nadda questioned Gehlot if it wasn't the Chief Minister's responsibility to visit his hometown Jodhpur after the violence.

"Wasn't it the job of Ashok Gehlot that he should have gone to Jodhpur, which is his home district, where communal clashes were taking place? You should have gone there. You didn't go, it shows how much you love the people of Rajasthan," said the BJP leader. Highlighting the welfare schemes such as the Ujjwala Yojana of the BJP government at the Centre, Nadda further targeted Ashok Gehlot and said, "Have you ever heard him talk about basic issues? He talks about riots, caste, communities or dividing the society. We talk about Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas."

Slamming the state government over the law and order situation, the BJP leader said that according to National Crime Records Bureau 2019-20 Rajasthan was ranked number one in cases of atrocities against women and was ranked second in crimes against Scheduled Tribe communities, while the state stands at number three in crimes against Scheduled Caste. Rajasthan has been witnessing various incidents of violence over the past two months.

Tension gripped Gehlot's hometown Jodhpur hours before Eid on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to suspend mobile internet services and impose a curfew in 10 police station areas of the city. There was agitation over putting up religious flags on the Jalori gate circle in Jodhpur, which led to stone-pelting in which five policemen were injured. In Karauli, violence broke out after the stone-pelting incident took place at a religious procession in April this year, while a 300-year-old temple was allegedly demolished using a bulldozer in Alwar's Rajgarh.

JP Nadda is on a two-day tour to Rajasthan starting today. The next Rajasthan legislative assembly election is scheduled to be held in 2023.