Vasundhara Raje Slams Officials Over Water Crisis: “Officers Are Asleep, People Are Crying”; Leader of Opposition Also Targets BJP

Jaipur (Rajasthan): With the onset of summer, a water crisis has gripped Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, prompting former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to issue a stern warning to officials and demand immediate corrective action. During her visit to Raipur town on Tuesday evening, Raje was approached by locals complaining about the acute drinking water shortage. In response, she strongly criticized the officers of the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).

Despite her pointed questions, none of the present officials — including the Superintending Engineer — could provide satisfactory answers. Expressing her frustration, Raje said, “Don’t test the people’s patience.” Later that night, she took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to publicly question the functioning style of the officials.

In one of her posts, Raje wrote:

“Don’t the people feel thirsty? Is it only the officers who do? The public is distressed due to the drinking water crisis in this heat, while the officials are content. Water should reach people’s lips, not stay on paper. Officers are asleep while people are crying. I will not let this continue. On receiving complaints from Raipur residents, I issued strict instructions to Jal Jeevan Mission and PHED officials for an immediate resolution.”

In another post, she questioned the usage of government funds:

“The Prime Minister has allocated ₹42,000 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Give a full account — what has been done with Jhalawar’s share of the funds? Our government is providing financial support to address the water crisis, yet officials are failing in implementation. The people of Rajasthan are parched. And this is only April — what will happen in June and July? Not a single official present, including the Superintending Engineer, gave me a satisfactory answer. Stop testing the people’s patience. This will not be tolerated in Jhalawar.”

Following Raje’s fiery remarks, Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully also took to X to criticize the BJP government. He said:

“Former CM Vasundhara Raje ji’s tweet itself is enough to expose the reality of the BJP government. How unfortunate it is that a former CM, despite her own party being in power, has to raise her voice about a basic need like water through the media and social platforms. If a BJP former CM feels so helpless before her own government’s officers, imagine the plight of the common people.”

The exchange reflects growing discontent over water management in Rajasthan as the heat intensifies, and has triggered political sparring within the BJP and from the opposition alike.