Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the state can benefit from creation of additional districts.
His statement came a day after the BJP-led state government dissolved nine of the 17 new districts that Gehlot had established during his tenure in August last year.
"Rajasthan has the potential to have more districts. For example, Madhya Pradesh, though smaller, has 53 districts, while Rajasthan now has only 41 now," Gehlot told reporters during a press conference.
The senior Congress leader explained that smaller districts help streamline the local administration.
"When district headquarters are 100-150 kilometers away, it becomes difficult for people to approach officials. Even justice for serious crimes gets delayed. If creating new districts was such a bad decision, why did they take an entire year to review it?" he asked.
Taking potshots at the BJP, Gehlot alleged that its ministers were avoiding comments on the issue due to a "guilty conscience".
Lalit Panwar, the officer who reviewed the districts, later joined the BJP, suggesting political motive behind the decision, he pointed out.
"Many bureaucrats are now claiming that the new districts were impractical, but the BJP is using them as a shield to attack us knowing that the decision was right," Gehlot said.
The former chief minister rubbished allegations that the new districts were announced for political gains ahead of the elections.
"We worked on this plan from the start, setting up revenue units over four years before announcing the districts. The decision was necessary," he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP countered Gehlot's remarks.
"If the intention to create new districts was genuine, why wasn't it announced in earlier budgets? This was clearly a pre-election move. There's no guilt in our cabinet, as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel himself announced the annulment," said BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj.
