The Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) has emerged as the biggest issue in the state’s electoral politics this time. Central Minister of Water Resources, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, is facing opposition from various quarters in the state. He is now avoiding making statements about the ERCP issue. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is also consistently pressuring the central government to declare this project a national one.
It should be noted that the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project was initiated by the BJP government. During the tenure of former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, this project was announced for 13 districts in the state. At that time, Prime Minister Modi had promised to declare this project a national one, but it was not fulfilled later. The Congress party is now strategizing to corner the government on this issue.
Thirteen districts in Rajasthan are affected by the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, which is a crucial matter. These districts include Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Dausa, Jaipur, Ajmer, Tonk, Bundi, Kota, Baran, and Jhalawar. These districts will significantly benefit from the ERCP. Although the Congress government in the state has allocated a budget for ERCP, the central government has not declared it a national project yet.
The ERCP issue affects 83 assembly seats in these 13 districts. The Congress party, in power, is making every effort to convince voters in these districts. This is because these districts have 83 assembly seats, out of which the majority are held by Congress. Only 25 seats are held by the BJP. In the previous assembly elections, the BJP couldn’t secure seats in Karauli, Bharatpur, Dausa, and Sawai Madhopur, while the Congress couldn’t win a single seat in Jhalawar.
The Congress party has become active on the ERCP issue. They have created a ‘think tank’ strategy to corner the central government and the BJP. The Congress will conduct public awareness campaigns and rallies in the affected districts from September 25 to September 29. Ministers, legislators, and senior officials of the government will stay in these districts for five days to protest against the central government’s negligence. The Congress has a detailed ‘think tank’ strategy regarding which leader will visit which district.
However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially conclude the BJP’s transformation rallies in Jaipur on September 25, which coincides with the start of Congress’s campaign in the ERCP-affected districts.
Dr Narendra Faujdar, the National President of the Kisan Majdoor Vidhyarthi Union, states that the government has turned ERCP into a game. He said, “The government doesn’t want to listen to the public’s concerns. The project was initially announced by former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in 2005. However, the BJP later declared it a national project in 2017.
The project aimed to bring 4,000 million cubic meters of water to the 13 affected districts. However, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat made a joke out of this project. Both the parties are laying with this project, because according to the agreement, dams have been constructed in Madhya Pradesh, but there is no sign of it in Rajasthan.”
He also talked about the newly built riverfront and said that the Chambal River’s water, which was supposed to come to Rajasthan, is being wasted in the Bay of Bengal. While Congress is planning to take its campaign to the districts most affected by the ERCP issue, Rajasthan’s Water Resources Minister Mahesh Joshi believes it’s not appropriate to politicize it.
He said that the ERCP is an important project for Rajasthan, and the state government is making all efforts, and added that the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should expedite the process to declare ERCP a national project.
Meanwhile, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Minister of Water Resources, is avoiding speaking on the ERCP issue and suggests that those more familiar with the project could provide better information. It seems clear that the central government is not particularly interested in this issue.
