Protests erupt in Rajasthan after BJP government scraps nine new districts
Congress leaders Sukhram Bishnoi and Suresh Modi led demonstrations in the towns of Sanchore and Neem Ka Thana.
Protests erupted in several parts of Rajasthan on Monday after the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party government decided to scrap nine new districts created during the earlier Congress regime, The Hindu reported.
Demonstrators blocked roads and held sit-in protests in several of the districts that were abolished through a Cabinet decision on December 28.
Congress leader and former minister Sukhram Bishnoi led a sit-in protest outside the Collectorate building in the town of Sanchore. Markets in the town also remained closed in response to a call by the Vyapar Mandal, a traders’ body.
Congress MLA from Neem Ka Thana Suresh Modi also led a protest in front of the Collectorate in the town, The New Indian Express reported. Markets in the town were closed and some of the protestors also threatened to disrupt train services.
Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara said that the party will hold protests across the state from January 1 if the districts that were scrapped are not reinstated.
On December 28, the Bhajanlal Sharma-led government in Rajasthan scrapped the districts of Anupgarh, Dudu, Gangapur City, Jaipur Rural, Jodhpur Rural, Kekri, Neem Ka Thana, Sanchore and Shahpura. It, however, decided to retain Balotra, Beawar, Deeg, Didwana-Kuchaman, Kotputli-Behror, Khairthal-Tijara, Phalodi and Salumbhar.
On the three districts of Malpura, Sujangarh and Kuchaman that were announced in October last year, the state government said on December 28 that the official notifications about their formation had not been issued.
The government also scrapped three new divisions of Pali, Sikar and Banswara that were created during the Congress regime last year.
With these changes, Rajasthan now has 41 districts and seven divisions.
In March 2023, the state government, then headed by the Congress’ Ashok Gehlot, had announced the formation of 19 new districts and three more divisional headquarters. The districts of Jaipur and Jodhpur had been split into two smaller ones each. This had taken the total number of districts in Rajasthan up to 50 from 33.
The Congress government had also announced the new divisions of Pali, Sikar and Banswara.
Responding to the new districts being scrapped, Gehlot said last week that the decision was short-sighted and politically vindictive.
