Gehlot on 'mass contact yatra' to campaign for coming elections

Nagaur, Feb 17 (UNI) Close on heels of the Rajasthan BJP's Jat Rally, AICC General Secretary and former state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot resumed his 'mass contact yatra' from Jat-dominated belt in Ajmer and Nagaur districts to garner the politically strong community's support in the next assembly election.

The elections are scheduled to be held in the desert state by November this year.

Mr Gehlot began his yatra from Kishangarh town in Ajmer district yesterday and had covered nine assembly segments in Ajmer and Nagaur districts till this evening. During the two-day tour, Mr Gehlot addressed over two dozen meetings and interacted with people along the 325-km stretch.

Mr Gehlot utilised the opportunity to prove his influence and access among Jats and restrengthen his bonds with the community which had voted in favour of the BJP in the 2003 state Assembly elections and subsequently.

The Congress leader repeatedly stressed in his speech during the public meetings that it were the Sangh and BJP inspired forces which had created a false impression that he was against the Jat community.

He said that it was the BJP Jat leaders' conspiracy to weaken him and mislead Jats and other sections of the society.

Mr Gehlot said people, particularly Jats, had now seen the real face of the saffron party and faced evils of "misrule" of it's government in the state during the past four years.

Virtually converting his yatra into an election campaign, Mr Gehlot sought people's vote saying, ''I am not anti-Jat, it was all BJP-Sangh's conspiracy so beware and work to ensure win of the Congress in all the 10 Assembly segments of Nagaur district.'' Presently the Congress holds only one of the 10 seats in the region.

Mr Gehlot also condemned the Vasundhara Raje Government for its ''misrule and failures'' stating that people should oust the present government in the next elections.

He said that the Raje Government ''had tried all tricks, played even caste and communal cards, divided the society on the basis of caste but all these gimmicks were unlikely to succeed.'' ''The present government had not only failed to fulfill its commitments to the people but it also resorted to anti-people and anti-farmer policies.'' Mr Gehlot had started his mass contact yatra, being undertaken in phased manner, about a year ago and so far has covered around 25 of the 33 districts.

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