BJP Legislator Criticizes Minister Over Unfilled Engineer Positions

Jaipur: Ram Bilas Meena, the MLA representing Lalsot, has publicly criticized Urban Development Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra during a heated exchange regarding the unfilled positions of Junior Engineer and Assistant Engineer in his constituency.

Meena expressed his frustration to the media, stating that he has visited the minister’s office multiple times without any progress in filling the vacancies. He claimed, “Such people are sitting as ministers in our government, who are all sleeping. All are thieves.”

His remarks highlight the discontent among legislators, as Meena indicated that many representatives feel their grievances are being ignored. He remarked, “It doesn’t feel that there has been a regime change. We have a shortage of staff in our Nagar Palika but the minister is not bothered to hear our grievances.”

The public outcry from Meena has provided the opposition Congress Party with an opportunity to criticize the current government, seizing on his comment about ministers as “thieves” to reinforce their narrative of the Bhajanlal Sharma government as ineffective.

Congress leader Tikaram Jully commented, “BJP legislators have started coming out in the open against their own government. One can imagine what is the plight of the common man when BJP’s own representatives seem to have no coordination with their own government.”

This fault line within the BJP is not isolated, as earlier, Bandikui legislator Bhagchand Takra also raised concerns about bribery within the forest department, further spotlighting governance issues in the state.

Notably, there are indications that government officials are delaying decision-making due to uncertainties surrounding transfers following the regime change. No IAS officers from the previous Congress administration have been reassigned thus far, leading to claims that appointments were sound.

In response to these allegations, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted that the lack of shuffling among IAS officers over the past eight months implies that previous appointments were effective. His statements were met with criticism from BJP leader Rajendra Rathore, who asserted that the party assesses bureaucrats on their performance rather than their political ties.