Shah flags off 'Gaurav Yatra' in Rajasthan, kicks off poll campaign
Jaipur, Aug 4 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Saturday flagged off "Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra" at Charbhuja temple in Rajsamund, which is also being seen as the official start of the party's election campaign in the state.
Before flagging off the Yatra, Shah and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje offered prayers in the renowned Vishnu temple.
Addressing a huge gathering on the occasion, Shah asked the Congress to give an account of the work done by its leaders during their four generations of rule.
"Instead of shooting 40 questions, you should present the report card of the last four generations of Congress, which ruled the country for many decades," he said.
The BJP chief said that Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra has been converted into a victory march as the Chief Minister of this state is taking out this procession and is ready to present her report card before the public for the works done during her tenure, he said.
Attacking the Congress, he said that the Congress leaders failed to make any significant achievement during their successive terms in the government.
"Rajasthan was referred to as a "Beemaru" state earlier. But ever since Raje took over the reins, the state is being counted as a developed state."
On Friday, Raje performed pooja of the bus to be used in the Yatra, which the party is calling as "Vijay Rath" (victory juggernaut).
Meanwhile, refuting the charges levelled by Shah, state Congress vice president Archana Sharma said that the BJP leaders, instead of answering a decent question, are issuing indecent statements.
"'Who has authorised the PWD officials to organise this political event?' was our question and the BJP has failed to answer the same. It seems they are baffled and hence are beating around the bush instead of speaking to the point," she said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Govt floats tender for new Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg
Mumbai (PTI): In the wake of collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, the Maharashtra government has issued a tender for the construction of a new 60-foot-tall statue there, nearly twice the size of the previous one, officials said on Wednesday.
The statue will be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore and the government has set a six-month timeframe for the completion of the work, they said.
A 35-foot-tall statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district on December 4 (Navy Day) last year, collapsed on August 26 amid strong winds.
The statue's sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, was later arrested.
The government has faced flak as the opposition parties alleged the decision to install the statue in Sindhudurg was taken haphazardly, which resulted in poor quality of work.
Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) had flagged concerns over rust gathering on Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and suggested permanent measures in a letter sent to a Naval official just six days before the structure collapsed.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said the statue was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.
He claimed winds were blowing at 45 km per hour when the statue collapsed.
A tender has been issued for the construction of a new statue and its height would be 60 feet, a PWD official said.
"The total cost would now be Rs 20 crore, including its engineering, installation and maintenance. The government has given six months to complete the work. The height of the statue would be 60 feet," the official said.
