Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has launched a strong attack on the state's ruling BJP government, alleging severe failures in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission. Gehlot stated on Wednesday that approximately 44 lakh households in Rajasthan are still without tap water connections, directly contradicting the BJP's earlier promises.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, a central government initiative launched in 2019, aims to provide functional household tap connections to every rural home across India. The BJP had committed in its election manifesto to complete the mission in Rajasthan by 2025.
Mission Delays and Shifting Targets
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gehlot highlighted that while the BJP government initially announced targets of 25 lakh connections for 2024-25 and another 20 lakh for 2025-26, the overall completion target for Rajasthan has now been pushed back to 2028. He contrasted this with the performance of his own government, which he claimed provided over 14 lakh tap connections in the 2022-23 fiscal year alone.
The senior Congress leader also raised concerns about the financial impact of these delays, alleging that payments amounting to approximately ₹3,200 crore to contractors have been pending for two years. Citing a media report, Gehlot asserted that work on 90% of drinking water projects in Rajasthan has come to a standstill.
Rajasthan Lags National Average
Gehlot pointed out that Rajasthan's current tap water coverage under the mission stands at 59.24%, significantly below the national average of 82.52%. This places Rajasthan among the states with the weakest performance in this crucial infrastructure project. Official data presented in Parliament corroborates these figures, showing that as of July 18, 2026, only about 63.62 lakh of Rajasthan's 1.07 crore rural households had tap water connections.
Questioning the 'Double-Engine' Government
The former Chief Minister questioned the efficacy of the BJP's 'double-engine' government, asking why residents of Rajasthan continue to face water scarcity despite the party holding power at both the Centre and in the state. He urged the BJP government to provide answers for the delays and the struggles faced by the public.
These allegations are expected to intensify political pressure on the Rajasthan government, particularly concerning the stalled projects and outstanding contractor dues. As of now, the state government has not issued a detailed response to Gehlot's claims.