New Delhi: Hitting out at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the protest by Pulwama martyrs' widows, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said that the BJP leaders are misguiding the people and maligning the image of Rajasthan.
His remarks came after Pulwama martyrs' widows staged a protest demanding a change in rules so that their relatives and not just children can get government jobs on compassionate grounds.
The three war widows of soldiers Rohitash Lamba, Hemraj Meena, and Jeetram Gurjar have been sitting on a dharna led by BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena since February 28.
"The kind of package given by Rajasthan government to the war widows, be it of the Pulwama, Balakot, or Kargil, doesn't exist anywhere in the country. I had brought the package when I was chief minister around 25 years back," Gehlot told reporters after attending a programme.
He stated that under the package the martyrs' families are allotted land and housing, schools are named after martyrs, and jobs are kept reserved for their children.
"Why are they asking for jobs after four years? The incident happened in 2019 but there was no demand then and now suddenly after four years the issue is raised. They (BJP leaders) are misguiding the people and maligning the image of Rajasthan," Gehlot said.
"If they (BJP leaders) continue to act in such a manner, then people will give them a befitting reply. We are giving a good package to martyrs' families. How can they ask for jobs for someone else other than the children," he said.
The CM said that he had met the war widows on Saturday who said they want jobs to be reserved for their children.
In February 2019, a suicide bomber targeted the two buses in which forty members of the CRPF were travelling in Jammu and Kashmir. In the Pulwama district of south Kashmir, the buses were part of a larger group of paramilitary vehicles travelling along the highway.
Soon after, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) released a video in which they claimed responsibility for the attack.