Raje slams Gehlot during her b'day celebration; recites Hanuman Chalisa

Jaipur, March 4 (IANS) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and National Vice President of BJP, Vasundhara Raje hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot while addressing a "mammoth" gathering assembled to celebrate her birthday at Salasar Balaji Dham in Churu district.

Raje's birthday falls on March 8, however in wake of Holi, she advanced the celebrations.

The former Chief Minister slammed the Gehlot government fiercely on the occasion. She said that those chosen for the safety of the public, were engaged in saving their chair all the time. "Rajasthan is burning due to anarchy and the Chief Minister is sleeping peacefully. This fire will soon reach his chair. Neither his government will be saved nor his chair," Raje said.

She further said that on one hand, the country is celebrating Amrit Kaal under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while on the other hand, people are "suffering due to anarchy" in Rajasthan.

"Out of 33 lakh patients registered in Chiranjeevi scheme, not even 100 patients have been completely cured... Youths are demanding justice from the government for multiple paper leaks. Farmers who took loans from co-operative banks were not even given the insurance amount," the former Chief Minister alleged.

She also said that the people who have come to attend her birthday celebration stood by her in every phase. "No matter how many obstacles came, how many difficulties came, they never left me. They stood like a rock..."

She recalled veteran party leaders including Atal Behari Vajpayee and Bhairon Singh Shekahwat on the occasion. "Atal ji instilled courage to stand firm even in difficult circumstances and Bhairon Singh ji gave confidence."

Raje said that in 2003, people of the state brought the BJP to power by giving it 120 seats for the first time, which followed 163 seats in 2013. "My government transformed a 'Bimaru' (an acronym for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh) state into a developing state, but the Congress governments demolished the building of development that we had built," she asserted.

She concluded the speech with two lines of Hanuman Chalisa. After this the gathering assembled there recited the Hanuman Chalisa collectively.