Raje to begin final leg of her Gaurav Yatra tomorrow; security tightened

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is set to begin the final leg of her ambitious Gaurav Yatra from Pali district tomorrow, days after miscreants threw stones, showed black flags and interrupted her public meetings in Jodhpur district.

The stone-pelting incident happened on Saturday in Pipad town, a stronghold of the opposition Congress party, during the second phase of the yatra, when Raje was addressing a group of people.

The yatra began on August 4 from Udaipur division.

Raje and her party, the BJP, have accused the Congress of staging protests to disrupt her campaign. She has blamed Congress national general secretary Ashok Gehlot for stone-pelting.

 

Gehlot and other Congress leaders have denied the accusation, saying their party does not adopt such tactics for political gains.

Heavy security arrangements have been put in place following the incidents. Police and Pali administration are taking precaution to ensure the yatra proceeds smoothly.

A senior police official said they have scanned intelligence inputs minutely and deployed policemen in adequate numbers at all venues of public meetings of Raje.

"We have done a check-list of all spots of the Gaurav Yatra in the district, which include both felicitation programmes and public meetings, where the chief minister will address the gathering. Adequate arrangements of policemen has been made at all these spots," the police official said.

DGP (Law and Order) N R K Reddy has reached Pali district and reviewed preparedness in Jaitaran and Sojat cities, two venues of Raje's public meeting. Minister Surendra Goyal accompanied Reddy.

Raje has faced opposition at several places during the yatra. The protesters shouted slogans against her and in support of former chief minister Gehlot. They also pelted stones and showed black flags to her in Phalodi, Osian and Pipad towns of Jodhpur district.

The protesters had also shouted slogans in support of Jat leader and Independent MLA from Khinwsar, Hanuman Beniwal.

Police arrested two persons in Osian and 15 in Pipad. They have registered cases against the people under various sections of IPC for causing disturbance, damaging public and private properties and unlawful assembly.

The last phase of the second leg of Gaurav Yatra will culminate in Barmer district's Kalyanpura on September 2. Raje will pray at the temple of Naganechya Mata, the kuldevi of Rathore community.