The women have been protesting in Jaipur with several demands. One wants a job for her brother-in-law, another wants her husband’s statue in her village, while another wants a college named after her husband.
Jaipur,UPDATED: Mar 9, 2023 21:00 IST
The widows have been protesting against the Rajasthan government (Photo: ANI/Twitter)
By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: The stalemate over demands made by the widows of soldiers killed in the Pulwama attack continues unabated in Jaipur. The widows, including Manju Jaat, Madhubala and Sundari Gurjar, are sitting in protest outside the official residence of Rajasthan’s former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot.
Manju Jaat, the widow of Rohitash Lamba, has been demanding a job for her brother-in-law instead of her 4-year-old son.
“I want a job for my brother-in-law. It is up to me how I take care of my son. He will study and find something else,” Manju Jatt said.
Madhubala demanded the government to install a statue of her husband in the village, while Sundari Gurjar is demanding that the college in her village be named after her husband.
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“I want the government to install a statue of my husband. I want assurance in writing from Ashok Gehlot’s government. Only then will we leave,” Madhubala said.
“We want justice to prevail. We have been sitting on dharna but the chief minister is not willing to listen to us,” Sundari Gurjar told India Today TV.
The BJP accused the Rajasthan government of backtracking on its promises.
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“The government sent ministers out here who assured that the brother-in-law would get a job. Promises were made but the chief minister backtracked in two hours. The government has failed to fulfill the promises it made,” BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Dr Kirodi Lal Meena told India Today TV.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot issued a statement accusing the BJP of misinforming Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the issue.
“How can we justify giving jobs to other relatives by trampling upon the rights of the children of the killed soldiers? What will happen to their children when they grow up? Is it appropriate to trample upon their rights? There is perhaps no such package in any other state for the families of the martyrs. BJP leaders misinformed Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. I have shared the facts with Rajnath Singh and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge,” Gehlot said.
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