Rajasthan / Law and order in Rajasthan reminds me of Taliban rule: BJP MP

Alwar: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) parliamentarian from Alwar, Baba Balaknath said on Wednesday that the law and order situation in Rajasthan reminded him of Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan. He cited a recent incident of firing in Bhiwadi to back his claim. However, the Congress shot back saying Rajasthan’s law and order was better than any BJP-ruled states.

Referring to the firing at a bakery in Bhiwadi, Balaknath alleged that the law-and-order situation was deteriorating in the state but Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government seemed not to see it. “Some miscreants opened fire outside residences and shops…looted a bakery and the government was sleeping,” he said.

On Monday, six armed men opened fire at a local bakery in Bhiwadi and threatened the owner and the employees. Police claimed that at least 30 rounds of bullets were fired, and the attackers also vandalised the property before fleeing. However, no injuries were reported from the incident.

Balaknath alleged that since the formation of the Congress government in the state, crime had increased, innocents were getting killed, and land was getting encroached. He also claimed that industries were shifting base to safer places from Alwar, Bhiwadi and Neemrana to escape extortions.

“The kind of tandav (unruly scene) seen in Rajasthan reminds [me] of Taliban. The way the Taliban is doing tandav in Afghanistan, Rajasthan seems to be moving in the same direction,” he alleged.

The BJP MP further alleged that politicians from the ruling party were getting people jailed on false charges and were registering fake cases. He claimed that this was the worst law and order situation in Rajasthan since independence.

The MP’s allegations coincided with the release of latest data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2020, which showed that Rajasthan had overtaken Madhya Pradesh as the state where most cases of rapes were registered in 2020. However, the desert state has witnessed a decline of around 16% in crime against women.

Commenting on the allegations, senior Congress leader and transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said Baba Balaknath has proved that he is not a “sanyasi” (ascetic) with the use of such language. The people will now get to know that he is [a] BJP worker and leader [in reality]. The law and order situation in Rajasthan is far better than any BJP-ruled state,” he said.

The minister added that the BJP was frustrated with the defeat faced in the recent Panchayat polls. “Now, the BJP leaders are even shying away from taking Modi’s name. They are giving such statements driven by insecurity,” he said.