Jaipur: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s ongoing “Intezaar Shastra” series has snowballed into a full-blown political confrontation in Rajasthan, prompting an aggressive and coordinated response from the BJP’s top leadership.What began as a series of social media posts flagging alleged delays and governance gaps has now evolved into a sustained narrative battle, with the ruling party mobilising its senior leaders to counter Gehlot’s claims.On the 13th day of the series, Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari termed Gehlot’s campaign an “expression of frustration” aimed at reclaiming political space after his party’s defeat in the state.Tiwari said the term “Shastra” should not be used lightly. “There are traditionally 64 shastras. Associating such a sacred word with ‘Intezaar’ is inappropriate. At best, this is an ‘izhar’ — an expression of frustration,” he said.He attacked Gehlot’s governance record, alleging issues like repeated paper leaks during recruitment exams had “betrayed the youth” of the state. Tiwari claimed key projects such as Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project and Yamuna water agreement were delayed under Cong govt.Listing “failures” of the Gehlot regime, Tiwari said, “Youth were waiting for jobs, students were waiting for an end to paper leaks, women for safety, farmers for protection of land and the public for relief from corruption.”Tiwari’s remarks form part of a broader, coordinated BJP response, indicating Gehlot’s campaign is being taken seriously. Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma also responded, apart from former LoP Rajendra Rathore, and cabinet ministers including Jogaram Patel, Jawahar Singh Bedam, and state chief Madan Rathore. Responding to the BJP’s attacks, Gehlot maintained the ruling party failed to counter his claims on facts.
