Jaipur, March 7 -- Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said the upcoming foundation stone laying for the Kota airport project was an initiative taken during the previous Congress government, and expressed hope that the long-pending project would now be completed quickly. In a post on X, Gehlot said the promise to build an airport in Kota was made by Rahul Gandhi during a public rally in the city. To fulfil that commitment, he said the Congress government had allotted 1,250 acres of land free of cost for the airport in 2021. He said a budget of Rs.120 crore was also sanctioned in 2022 to shift electricity transmission lines from the proposed airport site. Gehlot claimed that the project remained stalled for nearly four years due to delays by the Centre. However, he expressed hope that after the foundation stone is laid, construction work would move forward swiftly and be carried out with quality standards. He also highlighted the development of the Chambal Riverfront, which he said was conceived as a world-class project by the Congress government to position Kota as a tourism hub and attract more visitors. He alleged that due to the neglect of the current BJP government in Rajasthan, several planned facilities at the riverfront, including restaurants and other amenities, have not yet become operational. Gehlot urged the state government to further develop and properly maintain the Chambal Riverfront so that tourism in the Hadoti region can grow and the upcoming airport project can also realise its full potential. BJP spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma said the Congress has a habit of making false promises for political gain, while it is the BJP that has fulfilled the commitments it made. He said the BJP's decisions have been development-oriented, whereas Congress only seeks to claim credit for works it never carried out....