Ex-CM Ashok Gehlot attacks BJP over Jal Jeevan Mission, says 44 Lakh Rajasthan homes await tap water

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday accused the state’s BJP government of failing to implement the Jal Jeevan Mission effectively, claiming that around 44 lakh households in Rajasthan are still waiting for tap water connections.

In a post on X, Gehlot said the BJP had promised in its election manifesto to complete the mission by 2025. He alleged that the state government had announced tap connections for 25 lakh households in 2024-25 and another 20 lakh in 2025-26 but had now extended the target to 2028.

The senior Congress leader also claimed that payments of about ₹3,200 crore to contractors have remained pending for two years. Citing a media report, he said work on 90 per cent of drinking water projects in the state had come to a standstill.

Rajasthan lags national average

Gehlot said Rajasthan’s tap water coverage under the mission stands at 59.24 per cent, well below the national average of 82.52 per cent, placing the state among the weaker performers.

Official data presented in Parliament also shows that, as of July 18, 2026, around 63.62 lakh of Rajasthan’s 1.07 crore rural households had tap water connections, or about 59.10 per cent coverage.

Congress attacks BJP government

Questioning the BJP’s “double-engine” government, Gehlot asked why households in Rajasthan were still waiting for drinking water despite the party governing both at the Centre and in the state. He contrasted the current pace with his government’s record, saying it had provided more than 14 lakh tap connections in 2022-23 alone.

The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, aims to provide functional household tap connections to every rural household in India. The Centre has now set a revised nationwide target of December 2028, including for all districts of Rajasthan.

MUST READ: If Indira Gandhi were PM today, she would ban BJP over... says Ashok Gehlot

What happens next

The allegations are likely to intensify political pressure on the Rajasthan government over pending contractor dues and slow project execution. However, the state government has not yet issued a detailed response to Gehlot’s claims.

(With PTI inputs)