Jaipur, November 29 (AHN) Rajasthan's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara, on Saturday, has strongly responded to the statements and misleading allegations made by former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot regarding the Special Intensive Review (SIR) programme.

Citing factual evidence, Minister Godara said that the Congress has lost the trust and confidence of the people across the country -- a reality clearly reflected in the results of the Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Bihar.

He added that earlier, whenever the Congress lost elections, it raised doubts over EVMs and questioned constitutional institutions.

But after the Supreme Court's clear stance, the Congress and its allies have now shifted to spreading misinformation regarding the SIR.

According to Minister Godara, the Congress appears more concerned about infiltrators such as Bangladeshis and Rohingyas than about the citizens of this country.

Minister Godara said that instead of engaging in misleading politics over the SIR, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should introspect on their huge defeat in the Bihar elections.

The people stand firmly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his development-oriented governance, he added.

He clarified that the sole objective of the SIR is to ensure fair and transparent elections.

The process aims to purify the voter list by removing entries of the deceased, migrants, incorrect addresses, and duplicate voters, ensuring that only eligible voters remain, he said.

Minister Godara alleged that the Congress fears not genuine additions to the voter list, but the deletion of fake Congress voters.

He described the SIR as a powerful tool to eliminate ineligible voters and prevent electoral irregularities.

He urged citizens to participate actively in strengthening democracy by cooperating with the SIR process.

Minister Godara said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Rajasthan is progressing rapidly, achieving a 12.2 per cent GDP growth rate, significantly higher than the national average of 9.7 per cent.

He noted that during Gehlot's tenure as the Rajasthan Chief Minister, the fiscal deficit reached 5.83 per cent of GSDP in 2020–21, which the current BJP-led state government has reduced to 4.25 per cent in 2024–25.

He said that while the BJP government has delivered concrete results on the ground, the previous Congress government remained largely rhetorical during its five-year tenure.

Minister Godara added that former Chief Minister Gehlot had failed to assess his own five-year performance as CM before criticising the current BJP government.

"Had he (Ashok Gehlot) done so, he would have realised that the first 22 months of the BJP government have already surpassed the Congress' five-year record."

He highlighted that 57 buildings of Government Colleges were built under Congress in five years while 177 college buildings have been constructed by the current BJP government in the state during the last 22 months.

As many as 49 veterinary hospitals were upgraded to first class under Congress tenure while 1,010 were upgraded under the BJP's tenure.

A total of 13,160 km of new roads were constructed under the previous Congress government while under the current BJP government 15,684 km road was constructed.

Minster Godara said that Ashok Gehlot is spreading confusion regarding social security pension in the state.

"During the Congress regime, payments were often delayed by three to four months, whereas the current BJP government ensures that pensions due last month are paid within the current month."

He said that the state government disbursed Rs 12,866 crore in social security pensions during 2024–25, which is 34.10 per cent higher than the previous year, and has already paid Rs 16,591 crore for 2025–26.

Minister Godara added that the public-centric government led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has taken several important welfare decisions, including reducing VAT on petrol and diesel, increasing the gratuity limit for state employees, enhancing family pensions, introducing doorstep delivery for elderly beneficiaries under Rajasthan Government Health Scheme, and providing stamp duty exemption for jointly purchased property with one's spouse.