He says that officers of irrigation department have signed an agreement with the agitating farmers twice but the department is not honouring their commitments
Former chief minister and Congress General Secretary in-charge, Gujarat, Ashok Gehlot doesn’t miss any chance to attack the Raje government. Gehlot may have been entrusted with the task of reviving dwindling Congress base in Gujarat but he always finds reasons to remain active and relevant in Rajasthan politics as well. Be it law and order situation, Anandpal Singh encounter or refinery issue, he made it a point to corner the state government.
However, in coming days, the involvement of Gehlot is likely to decline in Rajasthan politics as BJP has pressed in seasoned campaigner and Finance minister Arun Jaitley as Gujarat in-charge. In all likelihood, Jaitley will keep Gehlot engaged in Gujarat as BJP has to further strengthen its impregnable fortress.
In the latest diatribe, Gehlot has accused the state government of showing apathy to farmers in Ganganagar and who are struggling to get their quota of water from Gang Canal. He has asked the state government to arrange for the release of water from the canal immediately to save crop damage in that region. He said that officers of irrigation department have signed an agreement with the agitating farmers twice but the department is not honouring their commitments. He said that the situation has worsened for farmers as the sidewalls of Ferozepur feeder caved in, incurring huge damage and the repair work could not sustain the flow of water. That resulted in closure of water supply from that feeder. The feeder used to supply 2100 cusec of water feeding 1200 villages. Farmers in these villages are facing acute shortage of drinking water. It has also risked crops down across 11200 acres of land, endangering fortune of thousands of farmers.
Rajasthan water resources minister Ram Pratap and chief engineers, in July last year, had discussed the dilapidated condition of the Ferozepur feeder and Rajasthan Canal with the then Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. The neighbouring states then made coordinated efforts to remove hyacinth that had endangered some Canal bridges and also agreed to take up reconstruction work of Ferozepur feeder that diverts water to the Rajasthan (Bikaner) Canal. But since then nothing had been done on the ground level to avert such a serious situation. Gehlot warned the government to immediately release 3000 cusec water and take steps to provide relief to affected farmers.
PILOT, DUDI ON TENTERHOOKS
With Gehlot’s political interest in Rajasthan refusing to die, Congress state president Sachin Pilot and leader of opposition in Rameshwar Dudi seem to be on the tenterhooks. Both these leaders have been raising concerns of farmers in the catchment area of Rajasthan Canal for a long time. Rameshwar Dudi has a larger stake as he belongs to Bikaner – the area around the Canal. If Congress makes a comeback in 2018, Dudi may emerge as a ‘dark horse’ for the chief ministerial post. He then may become the Jat chief minister which has been a long pending demand of Jats, which constitute around 8% of the state’s population.
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 "Ashok Gehlot")
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