BJP only working to collect votes in the name of women's reservation: Pilot

Jaipur, Sep 20 (IANS) Congress leader and former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday, accused the BJP of working to collect votes in the name of women's reservation.

The Prime Minister is trying to garner applause in the name of the Women's Reservation Bill. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh ji and Sonia Gandhi ji worked to push the Women's Reservation Bill during Congress rule," he said during a visit to his Tonk Assembly constituency. 

He questioned the need for amendment in the Women's Reservation Bill.

"The BJP is working to collect votes in the name of women's reservation. Their intention is not to give reservation to women. On the Women's Reservation Bill, now they are saying that there will be a census in 2029, there will be delimitation, after that it will be implemented. The intention of BJP is clearly visible from this," Pilot said.

Addressing the villagers, he said: "Today I have come among you not only to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of development works but also to thank you because only when the local people are aware, development is possible in the area. It is because of your people's awareness that development work is being completed here. It is the responsibility of you and all of us to ensure that public money is fully utilised.

"It has been our best effort to ensure that development works reach every panchayat and every village of Tonk. We have done development work in formal communities in Tonk Assembly constituency without any bias or discrimination."

The Congress leader said that work has been done by giving priority to development in education, medical and road sectors. "I believe that when children get good education, they get good positions after studying, and people in their families remain healthy, then the development of the area will happen automatically."

He said that BJP has completely failed to discharge the role of opposition in the state.

"Their leaders did not take care of you for four and a half years and now they are taking out Jan Aakrosh Yatra, Parivartan Yatra. There has been a BJP government at the Centre for the last 9 years. Twice you elected 25 BJP MPs from the state and sent them to Delhi. But they could not get even a single new scheme implemented in the state. They completely failed to get ERCP declared as a national project."

He said that when the Congress government was at the Centre, it made welfare laws like Right to Education, MNREGA, Right to Food Security etc during its rule, while the BJP made three black anti-farmer laws, ended employment by implementing Agniveer Yojana, increased inflation and worked to increase unemployment.

The prices of petrol, diesel, gas and everyday food items have increased drastically, he noted.

He said that BJP has nothing to tell the public.

"They will now try to trick you in the name of temple, mosque, religion, caste. But you have to remain alert, maintain your mutual brotherhood and make the Congress party victorious in view of the continuous development work done in the area."

On this occasion, Pilot laid the foundation stone and inaugurated more than 50 development works worth Rs 13.16 crore, in his constituency.