Jaipur, Dec 29 (PTI) BJP state president Madan Rathore on Sunday said Ashok Gehlot had announced formation of new districts in a hurry to please the MLAs so that his unstable government could get support.
The Rajasthan government on Saturday decided to dissolve nine of the 17 districts created by the previous Congress dispensation, saying they were neither practical nor in public interest.
Three new divisions were also dissolved in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. The state will now only have seven divisions and 41 districts.
Rathore claimed Gehlot formed a committee under the chairmanship of former retired administrative officer Ramlubhaya, but after the announcement of new districts, Ramlubhaya himself expressed surprise.
This clearly means that Gehlot kept the committee in the dark and distributed the districts to please the MLAs so that his unstable government could get support, he added.
Former chief minister Gehlot rubbished allegations that the new districts were announced for political gains ahead of the elections.
“Many bureaucrats are now claiming that the new districts were impractical, but the BJP is using them as a shield to attack us knowing that the decision was right,” he said.
In a statement, Rathore said after reviewing all the districts, the BJP government formed a committee under the chairmanship of former administrative officer Lalit Panwar, formed a cabinet committee and after their report, in the cabinet meeting, proposed to dissolve nine districts and three divisions.
He said that the BJP government has decided to keep 41 districts and seven divisions in view of the public demand on the basis of geography, culture and population of Rajasthan.
Rathore said that the Gehlot government announced new districts but neither did it make financial arrangements to run those districts nor did it arrange for their office resources etc.
Gehlot was busy saving the government for five years, Rathore charged.
He said that the Gehlot government suddenly announced new districts a day before the election code of conduct was imposed without thinking.
Gehlot also created such new districts for which no one had ever demanded, he said. PTI AG NB NB
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