Jaipur, November 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has released the first episode of his social media video series, Budget Files, targeting the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government over the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state.
Titled ‘Case No 1’, the opening episode focuses on tap water connections and questions the gap between the BJP government’s budgetary announcements and their implementation. Gehlot also challenged Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s ‘Two Years vs Five Years’ narrative by comparing the current government’s performance with that of the previous Congress administration.
Citing official figures, Gehlot said the BJP had promised during the 2023 Assembly elections to provide tap water connections to every household by 2025. He said the government subsequently announced targets of 25 lakh new connections in its February 2024 Budget and another 20 lakh in the 2025 Budget.
“After assuming power, the BJP government announced a target of providing 25 lakh new tap connections within one year in its February 2024 Budget. It subsequently announced another target of 20 lakh connections in the 2025 Budget.”
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Gehlot alleged that against the combined commitment of 45 lakh connections, fewer than 14 lakh had been delivered over nearly three financial years. According to figures cited in the video, the government provided 9.44 lakh connections in 2024-25, 2.71 lakh in 2025-26 and around 79,000–89,000 connections in the current financial year up to October.
Comparing this with the previous Congress government, Gehlot claimed that 13.88 lakh households received tap water connections in 2022-23 alone, exceeding the BJP government’s cumulative figure of 12.95 lakh connections over the three financial years cited.
He further alleged that around 44 lakh rural households in Rajasthan were still awaiting tap water connections. At the current pace, he claimed, it could take more than 30 years to provide connections to all remaining households.
Taking aim at the state government, Gehlot accused it of laying only a “pipeline of statistics” through successive budget announcements while people continued to wait for water connections.
Through the series, the former Chief Minister has sought to highlight what he describes as a gap between the BJP government’s promises and their delivery on the ground.
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