Jaipur, March 8 Addressing the people on the second day of the religious 'yatra' taken out in the eastern belt of Rajasthan on Monday, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said that it is not a show of strength, but a show of devotion.
"There is no 'rajniti', but only 'dharm niti' in this programme," Raje said after offering prayers at the Aadi Badri temple in Bharatpur on the occasion of her 68th birthday.
She had started her yatra on Sunday, terming it as religious yatra.
Speaking on the occasion, Raje said, "The state government lacks people working on the 'dharma niti'. The government seems to be trapped in politics and the state's development has therefore stopped."
Raje further said that besides Monday being her birthday as well as the International Women's Day, it is also the birthday of 'Panna Dai', offering rich tributes to the 16th-century nursemaid to Udai Singh II.
"I would like to thank all the people who came here with open hearts to wish me on my birthday. There are a few people who are looking at this religious show through the political glass. However, they are ignorant of the real facts," she said.
"It's a coincidence that today I am completing 36 years of serving as an MLA. I became an MLA on this day 36 years back and all the 36 castes in the state have showered their love and blessings on me. I am confident that I shall continue getting the same love and affection of the people. I have chosen Bharatpur as a destination for my yatra as it was on March 8, 1985 that I was chosen as an MLA from Dholpur which falls under the Bharatpur division," she added.
"There is no politics in this programme, which is a dharm niti which I have been following right from the start. I shall follow the same niti as my mother taught me the same lesson to walk on the principles of religion. Inspired by her, I have tried to make Rajasthan as a religious state," she said.
The former Chief Minister added that During her tenure, the state government spent Rs 550 crore to construct 125 temples to establish Rajasthan as a religious tourist spot.
"However, these days, those running the government are playing politics at the cost of development. These are the people who don't follow dharm niti, but follow only rajniti. They are trapped in politics," she said, adding that the state's development has therefore stopped.
Quoting former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Raje said, "Atalji once said 'darkness shall diminish and lotus shall bloom soon'. We will get lotus to bloom again in Rajasthan."
( With inputs from IANS )
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