Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], September 25 (ANI): BJP leaders launched a cleanliness and public service campaign at Ramniwas Bagh in Jaipur on Friday on the occasion of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's birth anniversary, in the presence of BJP National President Nitin Nabin. Several sanitation workers were also felicitated during the event.
While speaking to ANI, Balmukund Acharya said the campaign was rooted in Deendayal Upadhyaya's philosophy of 'Antyodaya' and aimed at taking the benefits of government schemes to the last person in society.
"We will follow the message and work Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ji gave and take it forward in our lives. Antyodaya' means ensuring that the benefits of schemes, whether from the Rajasthan government or the Central government, reach the very last person in the queue, meaning reaching the last person sitting at the bottom," he said, explaining that the day's programme was meant to give practical shape to that ideal.
Speaking about the day's proceedings, Acharya said sanitation workers were felicitated as part of the event.
"Our National President of BJP, Nitin Nabin, arrived in the land of Rajasthan's brave warriors, and from this holy courtyard of Ramniwas Bagh in Jaipur's Apar Kaashi. All our warriors engaged in service have also been honoured, along with being given kits, and many oaths and resolutions have been taken here that in our goal of a developed India by 2047, our cleanliness and health should also be there," he said, framing the felicitation as part of the party's larger developmental vision.
He added that the BJP treats such occasions as opportunities for service rather than mere celebration.
"We work as a service, treating it as a festival, whether it was Modi ji's birthday recently, or all our party workers who have worked to uplift the party since its establishment... Whether it's cleanliness, service, or taking the benefits of the central and Rajasthan governments' schemes to every home," he said.
Responding to a question on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Acharya criticised him, alleging that he has aligned himself with anti-national elements and made derogatory remarks against senior leaders.
"Rahul Gandhi ji has made a habit of standing with anti-national forces... standing up and making nonsensical remarks about those in the highest positions... insulting the mothers and sisters of the country, and attempting to defame the youth by having them say such insulting things on stages; this is Rahul Gandhi's doing," he said, alleging that Gandhi used young people on public platforms to make controversial statements.
Acharya went on to question Gandhi's political relevance, suggesting his continued engagement with the youth stemmed from a diminishing support base of his own.
"Rahul Gandhi today, at the age of fifty-five or sixty, sitting with 10-15-20-year-old kids and looking for his political path, you can guess from this that he is sitting behind the youth, thinking about and promoting his political ambitions," he said.
Contrasting this with what he described as the BJP's grassroots strength, Acharya referred to the party's performance in the Municipal Corporation elections.
"We also won in the Municipal Corporation elections, and Congress didn't get many seats, suggesting Gandhi should be more measured before making political allegations, including against the Election Commission," he said.
Separately, Urban Development and Housing (UDH) Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra detailed the day's official programme, beginning with the Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign.
"The Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 was launched under the Viksit Bharat Janseva Abhiyan. He administered the cleanliness pledge to all the gentlemen and ladies present, planted trees, and, with our sanitation warriors, he had a conversation," Kharra said, describing the sequence of events at the launch.
He outlined the National President's remaining schedule for the day. "After that, he will discuss with party office bearers, workers, and MLAs at the Chief Minister's residence regarding the Panchayat elections. In the afternoon, he will address the state-level conference of newly elected BJP body councillors and heads in Dadia, held in honour of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's birth anniversary and in the evening, he will interact with the youth through the youth conference," he said, noting that the visit spanned political, administrative and youth engagement.
Kharra said the visit was expected to energise party cadres as they take stock of the state government's three-year tenure, adding that issues like law and order, paper leaks, and inter-state water agreements would also be highlighted.
"Whether it's about law and order, speeding up development, or taking action against those who ruined the future of lakhs of the state's youth through mass cheating and paper leaks in the past," he said.
On the Congress demand for the Chief Election Commissioner's resignation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and allegations of "vote theft," Kharra dismissed the claims as an attempt to mislead the public.
"Congress doesn't have any issues to talk about. But just to unnecessarily confuse the public," he said, defending the SIR exercise as a legitimate electoral safeguard.
It's a well-established fact that in any country that holds elections, only its native citizens should be registered as voters. If a person is registered to vote in more than one place, it ruins the integrity of the election. And with this objective in mind, the provision for SIR was made," he said, adding that names removed due to discrepancies could be restored on verification.
"If this fact is revealed, the names will also be added back," he said. (ANI)
Jaipur: Balmukund Acharya invokes 'Antyodaya', hits out at Rahul Gandhi during cleanliness drive
