Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot paid homage to Surajmal, the erstwhile ruler of Bharatpur, on his death anniversary on Sunday, saying he was a great warrior and an excellent diplomat. Gehlot also visited Maharani Shri Jaya Mahavidyalaya ground in Bharatpur, where sand art depicting the life of Surajmal was on display.

"Maharaja Surajmal, the founder of Bharatpur, was a great warrior, proficient in battle as well as an excellent diplomat. For this reason, the princely state of Bharatpur was always one step ahead of the Mughals and the British and the Lohagarh fort remained invincible," the chief minister said. He said the younger generations should learn from the lives of such great men to move forward in life.

Great men do not have any caste or religion. For them, all communities and religions are equal, Gehlot said.?Highlighting the schemes and programmes of his government, Gehlot said the public welfare schemes of the state are being viewed as models across the country. "Among these, Chiranjeevi health insurance scheme, social security pension and old pension scheme for state employees are being discussed across the country," he said.

PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara, state Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh, Public Health Engineering Department Minister Mahesh Joshi, Technical Education Minister Subhash Garg, Divisional Commissioner Sanwarmal Verma, Inspector General Gaurav Srivastava and others were also present on the occasion. During his visit to Bharatpur, Gehlot also laid foundation stones and inaugurated development projects in Nadbai assembly constituency.?