Congress govt’s financial management was pathetic…I still get nightmares: Vasundhara Raje

There has been a lot of work. The first half of the year went by because of the Lok Sabha elections and since then, we have been trying to fix the financial mess we have inherited from the previous Congress government. When I demitted office in 2008, I had left the state financially sound and solvent. But during the last five years, the entire financial structure of Rajasthan has crumbled.

What did the Congress do wrong? What were the major financial blunders according to you?

To start with, there was the Jaipur Metro. It’s not like we did not think of it. In fact, the idea of Jaipur Metro was conceived during my previous term. I had consulted Mr. Sreedharan about the idea and he had said the project was not economically viable. Even now, you see the Metro’s occupancy. The numbers and ticket sales are just not enough to sustain it. It is a financial burden. Sure, the numbers are picking up slowly but it will not be self-sustaining till about 2025.

There have been rumours about your lack of enthusiasm towards the Barmer refinery and petrochemicals complex project.

Okay, let’s talk about the refinery. First, they dilly-dallied on its location. Now they are asking me why is it not on the ground. But as I see it, it is my duty to see that we get the best deal for Rajasthan. If Mr. Gehlot (former CM Ashok Gehlot) had done a proper deal keeping in mind what is good for Rajasthan, we wouldn’t have been in this situation.

First of all, you gave them the land, then Rs 4,000 crore, which now you won’t get, since global crude oil prices have fallen. Now that you have already given HPCL all these things, they are going to fight for it. Why shouldn’t they?

It is the Rajasthan government’s (under Congress rule) fault, for not being smart enough to understand that these things (fall in crude prices) take place. It was pure, nonsense economics. I wouldn’t have anything to do with all that, you do what you want. But we can’t let that happen. It’s our land, it’s our oil and it’s a non-renewable resource. We are in the process of hammering out an agreement. I am going to do it, even if it will take me five years.

You blame the Congress government of “bad economics”.

You see their last six months. They just launched scheme after scheme. Issued lakhs of ration cards. There was duplication, triplication of beneficiaries, leading to a big loss to the exchequer. But absolutely no one bothered. Now we have rationalised the numbers, trimmed and streamlined the food security system.

The Congress has accused you of diluting the widely appreciated free medicines scheme.

I am not against free medicines. All I say is that why should I pay for the people of other states.

Haryana comes here, Delhi comes here, Madhya Pradesh comes here. People of all states are taking money meant for the people of Rajasthan. Why is no one getting up and saying “free medicine kiske liye”?

Do you think there was impropriety in these schemes?

I’m sure. By the look of it, I’m sure there was impropriety. All that will come out soon.

The Bhamashah Yojana is your flagship welfare scheme. How do you see it shaping up?

When we started it, Bhamashah was not a fashionable scheme at all. We had to fight hard to get a bank to support us. Punjab National Bank supported us then. The Bhamashah scheme became a precursor to Aadhaar, Jan Dhan Yojana, etc. They all came later.

The idea that drives the scheme is that it stands behind the woman, who is the main beneficiary. It’s the only card that recognises the woman as the household’s main beneficiary.

So is the state’s financial situation under control now, after two years of your government?

We are a little more comfortable with the finances but even now I get nightmares sometimes. The Congress government had no clear roadmap of where they were headed. It was poor, pathetic financial management.

The country has seen a lot of debate on intolerance, which has been blamed on “fringe radical elements”. However, compared to other states, you have not tolerated such elements in the state. Is this a part of your vision for Rajasthan?

I am very clear that we have to be above board and stay with the law. It’s just as simple as that.

The Rajasthan government has been criticised for adopting the Public-Private-Partnership mode in key services like education and health, besides tourism. Do you see PPP in governance as the way forward?

I’m not saying it’s the only way forward. But it’s one of the ways and I’m sure it will work for Rajasthan.

The opposition has alleged that crores of public money is being wasted on celebrating the government’s two-year anniversary.

Where is the money being spent? It’s just for cleanliness. How did they arrive at the Rs 200 crore figure? It’s their tendency; they just wildly swing around numbers.

A lot has been said about your strained relationship with the BJP central leadership.

This is just another myth that people create about me in this state. Obviously, they have very little to do. But there’s absolutely no truth in any of this. Some people have been waiting for something to happen right from the beginning. Six months, a year-and-a-half, two years… I guess they will have to keep waiting till this whole thing is over.

The fact is there is no such problem, there’s no misunderstanding. The party is working very well. Everyone is supporting everyone else. I think this is a good time… the party is in very good health.