Jaipur, July 5 -- A political war of words erupted on Saturday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery at Pachpadra in Balotra, with the Congress accusing the BJP of taking undue credit for a project initiated during the UPA era and questioning the delay and cost escalation. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot hit back at Modi's remarks made during the inauguration ceremony, in which the Prime Minister alleged that work on the refinery had slowed between 2018 and 2023 under the previous Congress government in the state. Responding in a post on X, Gehlot said it was "unfortunate" that the Prime Minister behaved like a BJP leader even at official government functions. "The PM claimed that the project remained stalled during the Congress government from 2018 to 2023 and was completed in just two-and-a-half years under the BJP. Such statements sound ridiculous," Gehlot wrote. He asserted that refinery officials would confirm that work continued even during the Covid-19 pandemic and claimed that "nearly 85% of the project" was completed during the Congress government's tenure between 2018 and 2023. Gehlot also pointed out that the BJP government itself had announced in its Budget that the refinery would be completed by August 2025, arguing that the project was inaugurated nearly a year behind schedule. Ahead of the inauguration, Gehlot had reiterated that the refinery was conceived and approved during the Congress-led UPA government. He said the project became possible due to the support of former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. According to Gehlot, the refinery was secured after sustained discussions with the then Union petroleum ministers Murli Deora and M. Veerappa Moily. He noted that Sonia Gandhi and Veerappa Moily laid the foundation stone for the project in 2013. Gehlot further alleged that the project remained stalled for nearly five years due to political reasons, resulting in a sharp increase in costs. He claimed that after the Congress returned to power in Rajasthan in 2018, the refinery work was revived on priority and progressed substantially despite disruptions caused by the pandemic. The former chief minister also accused the BJP government of failing to develop the proposed petrochemical zone adjoining the refinery. He said the Congress had planned a downstream industrial hub for plastic-based industries using refinery by-products, which, according to him, could generate large-scale employment. He urged the state government to expedite the project and ensure priority for local entrepreneurs and workers. Earlier, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot took a swipe at chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, saying, "The chief minister doesn't even have basic knowledge of the refinery's history." Responding to Gehlot's remarks, state BJP president Madan Rathore said, "Gehlot ji should stop misleading the public about Pachpadra refinery." Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully also criticised the BJP, alleging that the ruling party was attempting to claim credit for a project initiated under the UPA government. "If anyone wants to learn how to take credit, they should learn from Modiji," Jully said. Jully, in a satirical remark, said the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the refinery twice and was now inaugurating it twice. He also referred to the fire at the refinery that led to the postponement of its scheduled inauguration in April this year, alleging that the reasons behind the incident had still not been made public. He claimed that BJP nearly doubled the project's cost and alleged it had scaled down political mobilisation around the inauguration because it was unable to draw large crowds....