Rajsamand, November 3: Taking a dig at the Ashok Gehlot government over the perceived infighting in the Rajasthan Congress, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the ruling party could have fought its internal battles before forming the government in the state. Addressing a public rally at Nathdwara in Rajsamand district, ahead of the November 25 Assembly elections, the Raksha Mantri said, "If they (Congress) had to fight, they could have done so before coming to power. Why are they still fighting among themselves after forming the government? Why should the people of Rajasthan have to bear the brunt of their internal tussle? The people elected you to serve them not to fight among yourselves."

Invoking the alleged tussle for the chief minister's chair between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot and the feuding between factions supporting them, Singh said, "While some MLAs are on one side, the rest are with the other. No government can function like this." On the open rebellion by Pilot, CM Gehlot's former deputy, which threatened the very existence of the Congress government, the Raksha Mantri said the BJP wouldn't have tolerated such 'indiscipline' in its ranks. Rajasthan Assembly Election 2023: BJP Releases List of Two Candidates Ahead of Upcoming Polls.

"The BJP never forgives those who report to indiscipline," Singh added. On the sharp upward spiral in crime across the state in the recent past, the Defence Minister said the impunity with which people are being murdered across the state seems to suggest that the government has been missing in action over the last five years.

"There is no law and order left in Rajasthan. No one could have imagined the way Kanhaiyalal was murdered in broad daylight. Such incidents would seem to suggest that the government here has been missing in action for the last five years," the BJP heavyweight said.

Kanhaiyalal was brutally murdered for allegedly sharing a social media post in support of BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma in light of the controversy over her purported remarks against the Prophet. The Defence Minister said no state can develop or prosper unless the law and order situation is robust, adding that the Congress government even went to the extent of judging and treating criminals on caste lines. Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2023: With BJP Projecting No CM Face, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Is Up Against PM Narendra Modi.

"No state or country can prosper unless there is a strong law and order system in place. The first and fundamental requirement for growth is law and order. The Congress government failed to provide the same and even treated criminals on the basis of their caste," Singh alleged.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the BJP released its fourth list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls. In the last assembly elections in 2018, the Congress emerged as the largest single party with 99 seats while the BJP had to settle for 73 seats in the 200-member House.

Gehlot eventually took oath as CM with the support of BSP MLAs and independents. The counting of votes for Rajasthan and four other poll-bound states has been scheduled for December 3.

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