Since the Modi administration announced the much-needed ambitious project, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party have been lobbying against the Central Vista plans, coercing the central government to abandon the plans for the project. While the Gandhi scion had called the redevelopment of Central Vista a “criminal wastage”, his coterie Shashi Tharoor had also rubbished the idea of the Central Vista Project.
Although the Congress scion and his acolytes have generated a ruckus in order to halt the ongoing reconstruction of Central Vista, calling it a wastage of public funds, interestingly, the Congress party-led government in Rajasthan has given a nod for redevelopment work worth over Rs 125 crores in the state.
An advertisement published by the Rajasthan government showed that the Rajasthan CM and Congress stalwart Ashok Gehlot would be laying the foundation stone of three such multi-crore projects in Jodhpur, Rajasthan on June 3rd, 2021.
The first project is the construction of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for which the state government has approved a budget worth Rs 45 crores. Second is the construction of an ‘International standard’ auditorium for which a budget of Rs 60 crore has been approved. The third is the renovation and up-gradation of Baraktullah Khan stadium for which the state government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 20 crores. In total, the state government has approved a budget of Rs 125 crores for redevelopment work in Jodhpur.
Apart from these, other projects totally several crores were also listed in the Rajasthan Congress ad.
As soon as the Rajasthan Congress Government’s advertisement surfaced online, Netizens fumed and slammed the Congress leadership over their hypocrisy. Social media users commented that while Congress is crying hoarse over the alleged ‘wastage of public funds’ in the Central Vista project in the midst of the pandemic, the party itself is splurging same funds in Rajasthan where they rule, spending crores on redevelopment projects.
Congress tried to hold central vista project amid covid.
— Chota Don (@choga_don) June 3, 2021
Meanwhile Rajasthan Govt inaugurating Auditoriums and Stadiums. Hypocrisy! pic.twitter.com/btXt4TmI4q
Others raged that the Congress leadership in Rajasthan has been unfettered by the state’s waste of coronavirus vaccinations, but is prepared to spend billions on rebuilding projects in the face of the epidemic. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri raised similar concerns.
Meanwhile in Rajasthan…
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) June 3, 2021
After dumping more than 11.5 lakh vaccines in dustbins in a ‘एतिहासिक पहल’
& with Congress leaders going hysterical over ongoing Central Vista Avenue redevelopment, the state govt announces Bhumi Pujan of several projects!
भव्य hypocrisy! pic.twitter.com/yjba3trw6B
While Congress calls Central Vista project a ‘wastage’, the Maharashtra govt spends 900 crores on MLA residences
The Congress government had displayed similar hypocrisy when, amid the raging pandemic, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government floated tender seeking bids for the redevelopment of MLA hostel Manora at Nariman Point at an estimated cost of Rs 900 crore.
The Maharashtra government’s redevelopment tender aroused concerns in the state, with critics pointing to the government’s excessive spending, especially at a time when the state is suffering financial difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic.
Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi stayed away from questioning the Maharashtra government about the expenditure of Rs 900 crore on the construction of luxury apartments for legislators or grilling the Rajasthan government for approving redevelopment work worth Rs 120 crores at a time as critical as this. Nevertheless, the Congress leader was unwavering when it came to politicising the development projects in the national capital, attacking the Modi government over the ambitious Central Vista project, which was planned and funded even before the Chinese virus began wreaking havoc in India.