Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project won’t stop, says CM Ashok Gehlot

Launching a scathing attack on the central government over Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said the state government will complete the project even if the government of India (GoI) doesn’t declare it a national project.

ERCP proposes to provide drinking water to 13 districts of Rajasthan and provide irrigation water for 2.8 lakh hectares of land through 26 different large and medium projects. The ERCP project is worth more than ₹37,000 crore.

“I want to ask the PM why did the ministry write to the state asking to close the project? The Centre has no right to stop as water is a state subject. The state government will not let the work stop for this project at any cost,” said Gehlot, addressing a meeting participated by the leaders and elected representatives of the 13 districts benefitting from ERCP.

Also Read: Ashok Gehlot targets Gajendra Shekhawat over ERCP. BJP responds

He informed that the GoI has written a letter to the state government to stop the work for ERCP citing inter-state consensus issues, but they should know that water is a subject matter of the state and not the Centre.

The CM announced that if the GoI does not declare the ERCP as a national project, the Rajasthan government will complete the project. “It is our water and catchment area and we are using our resources. I would like to say in front of everyone that I am not going to stop its work at any cost,” Gehlot said.

Taking a dig at the GoI, he said they will send ED, IT and CBI, if they find any shortcomings in the projects.

“They are very dangerous people. They can do anything. They will create pressure, threaten and do anything. But we are not going to be afraid, whatever you may do. We will move forward,” Gehlot said.

“We want to tell the PM and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra that there is no politics in this, and people are waiting for water”, he added.

Gehlot said PM Narendra Modi twice in Jaipur and Ajmer had announced to consider this project sensitively and with a positive attitude. But nothing happened after that. The state, despite its limited resources, is continuing the work on this project and proposed a budget of ₹9,600 crore.

“When 16 projects in the country could be given the status of national project, why can’t one in Rajasthan be given. We are not begging, we are asking for our rights,” he said.

Meanwhile, during his speech, the CM referred to the words Nakara and Nikamma, which he had recently used for Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh, who is MP from Jodhpur, the CM’s hometown.

He said, “What is the meaning of Nikamma (useless)? When children quarrel in the neighborhood among themselves, then one neighbor goes to another’s house and complains about the child, then the father of that child tells him that I call him now and scold him, he is Nakara and Nikamma. That’s what they say, these are proverbs. He speaks for his child. The same thing I say is Nakara and NIkamma, it means that he is a kid, must have made a mistake, I will scold him. Sometimes it is also said in love. Now even if I say it with affection, many people consider it bad, what should I do?”

Over his comments, the union minister had reacted stating that ‘The CM is under intense mental pressure. That is the reason for using inappropriate words for me. He used the same words for Pilot. His behavior is due to the defeat of his son in Lok Sabha.”