News Analysis India

Tag: Rajasthan Congress

  • Congress, Independent MLAs not accommodated in reshuffle to be adjusted in political appointments

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Congress and independent MLAs, who had expectations from the Cabinet expansion but were not accommodated in the reshuffle, would be adjusted in political appointments.

    Party sources said that 15 parliamentary secretaries and seven advisers to the chief minister will be appointed.

    This will accommodate 22 MLAs who had expectations that they would be made part of the government.

    Those left out will be given other political appointments as chairperson of various boards and corporations, the party sources said.

    The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government had faced a political crisis in July last year after the then deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs took a rebellious stand against Gehlot’s leadership.

    Rest of the Congress MLAs, independent legislators who were supporting the government, MLAs who quit the BSP and joined the Congress had camped in hotels under the leadership of Gehlot.

    The chief minister had assured all those who supported his government at the time of the crisis that he would work as their guardian.

    Apart from them, the members of Sachin Pilot camp also had expectations from the expansion.

    “The party high command and chief minister have taken a balanced stand. All regional and social equations have been considered in the cabinet reshuffle. Since there were limitations, it was not possible to accommodate everyone who had expectations. For this, 15 parliamentary secretaries and seven advisers to CM will be appointed, and other political appointments will also be made,” the source said.

    Fifteen ministers — 11 cabinet and four ministers of state — are going to take oath at the Raj Bhawan on Sunday.

    The eleven Cabinet ministers include three who have been elevated from MoS to the Cabinet rank.

    Only three ministers, Govind Singh Dotasra, Harish Chaudhary and Raghu Sharma, have been dropped.

    The other ministers have been retained in the Ashok Gehlot cabinet.

    In addition to them, 12 new ministers are being inducted.

    Five are believed to be from the Sachin Pilot camp.

    Pilot has also expressed satisfaction over the reshuffle and welcomed it, saying it has been done after much brainstorming and discussions, with a comprehensive approach and it will send a good message across the state.

    The Congress has 108 MLAs in the 200-member assembly.

    It also has the support of 12 out of 13 independent MLAs.

  • Cabinet reshuffle fulfilled expectations of all, says Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: The cabinet reshuffle in the Ashok Gahlot government has fulfilled the expectations of all and there is no resentment within the party, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra claimed on Sunday.

    The Congress will soon organise programmes at its state unit headquarters for the party workers to share their grievances.

    The feedback will be sent to the party high command and the chief minister, he told reporters.

    “Enthusiasm among the party leaders and workers reflects that the government has done a good job. The party has won all elections, be it of local bodies, panchayats or assembly bypolls. The results have been in our favour. We are confident the Congress will again form government in 2023,” Dotasra said.

    Dotasra was the school education minister in the Gehlot cabinet.

    He along with revenue minister Harish Chaudhary and health minister Raghu Sharma offered resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday while expressing their desire to work for the party.

    Their resignations have been accepted.

    They are the only ministers who have been dropped from the cabinet.

    The rest of the ministers have been retained and 12 new ministers are going to take oath at 4 pm at Raj Bhawan on Sunday.

  • Ahead of oath taking ceremony, Rajasthan Congress leaders, legislators meet at state party office

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Congress leaders, including the MLAs who are going to take oath as ministers on Sunday, assembled at party’s state office here for a meeting.

    Those who are going to be sworn-in as ministers were felicitated at the the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (RPCC) office by state chief Govind Singh Dotasra.

    Besides Dotasra, Chief minister Ashok Gehlot and AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken addressed them.

    From the RPCC office, they will head to the Raj Bhawan for the oath taking ceremony, which will take place at 4 pm.

    Ministers in Congress-ruled Rajasthan had resigned during a meeting at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence here on Saturday evening, ahead of the Cabinet reshuffle.

    Fifteen ministers- 11 cabinet and four ministers of state (MoS)- will take oath.

    The 11 cabinet ministers include three who have been elevated from MoS to cabinet rank.

    Only three ministers– Govind Singh Dotasra, Harish Chaudhary and Raghu Sharma– have been dropped while other ministers have been retained in the Ashok Gehlot cabinet.

    In addition to them, 12 new ministers are being inducted.

    With the induction of 12 new ministers, the number of council of ministers in the the state will reach 30.

    The council of ministers in Rajasthan can have a maximum of 30 ministers, including the chief minister.

    PTI SDA Apart from Dotasra, Chief minister Ashok Gehlot and AICC general secretary in charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken addressed them at the PCC.

    15 ministers- 11 cabinet and 4 ministers of state- will take oath at the ceremony to be held at Raj Bhawan at 4 pm.

    11 cabinet ministers include three who have been elevated from MoS to cabinet rank.

    Only three ministers—Govind Singh Dotasra, Harish Chaudhary and Raghu Sharma— have been dropped while other ministers have been retained in the Ashok Gehlot cabinet.

    In addition to them, 12 new ministers are being inducted.

    With the induction of 12 new ministers, the number of council of ministers in the Congress ruled Rajasthan will reach 30.

    The council of ministers in Rajasthan can have a maximum of 30 ministers, including the chief minister.

  • Three Rajasthan ministers offer to quit ahead of reshuffling of Cabinet 

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Three Rajasthan ministers have written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, offering to quit their posts and work for the party, ahead of the expected Cabinet rejig in the state.

    Those who have offered to quit are Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary, Medical and Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma and Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra, Congress general secretary, Ajay Maken told reporters here.

    “I am happy to inform you that three promising ministers of our Rajasthan cabinet have written to Sonia Gandhi today, offering to step down as ministers. They have also expressed desire to work for the party,” Maken said.

    Maken said, “The Congress party respects them.nWe are glad that there are such promising people who want to work for the party.”

    ALSO READ | Congress decision on Rajasthan and Gujarat units’ rejig after Rahul’s return to India

    Dotasra is currently the state president of the Congress while Sharma has recently been appointed by the party as the in-charge for Gujarat and Harish Chaudhary as the in-charge for Punjab.

    Two days ago, Gehlot had said that the cabinet restructuring would take place soon.

    At present, there are 21 members in the state Cabinet, including the chief minister.

    The number of MLAs in the state is 200, according to that the Cabinet can have a maximum of 30 members.

  • Three Rajasthan ministers offer to quit ahead of reshuffling of Gehlot govt Cabinet

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: The countdown for the new cabinet of the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan has started.

    Three members of the Gehlot cabinet, Medical and Health Minister Dr. Raghu Sharma, Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary and Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra, have sent a letter to Congress national president Sonia Gandhi on Friday and have offered to resign.

    All three are in important position in the party and have expressed their desire to work in the organization.

    Raghu Sharma is in charge of Gujarat and Harish Chaudhary is in charge of Punjab. While Dotasara is the State Congress president.  The three Ministers have offered to resign following the one person one post formula.

    Meanwhile, Ajay Maken, the general secretary in-charge of Rajasthan, reached Jaipur today. He met CM Ashok Gehlot and PCC Chief Govind Dotasara at the airport and after that the three leaders went to CMR.  

    “I am happy to inform you that three promising ministers of our Rajasthan cabinet have written to Sonia Gandhi today, offering to step down as ministers. They have also expressed desire to work for the party,” Maken said.

    Maken said, “The Congress party respects them.nWe are glad that there are such promising people who want to work for the party.”

    Although Maken has come to attend the Kisan Vijay Diwas program to be celebrated by the Congress on Saturday, the timing of his visit is also being linked to the cabinet reorganization after these resignations. There are speculations that the swearing-in of the cabinet may take place on November 21 or 22.  

    ALSO READ | Congress decision on Rajasthan and Gujarat units’ rejig after Rahul’s return to India

    On Saturday, Governor Kalraj Mishra is returning to Jaipur after completing his Uttar Pradesh tour and Kisan Vijay Diwas will be celebrated by the Congress on the withdrawal of the Farm laws by Modi government. The meeting, which will be organized at the Civil Line gate, will be addressed by CM Ashok Gehlot, state party President Govind Singh Dotasra, Ajay Maken and other party leaders.

    Earlier this week, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had finally cleared the suspense on whether he will have an expansion or a reshuffle of his cabinet. While addressing government employees in Jaipur, CM Gehlot had admitted for the first time that he will be reshuffling his ministry soon.  

    In the swearing-in ceremony of the Secretariat Employees Union in Jaipur, CM Gehlot had expressed the possibility of holding a swearing-in ceremony soon. Gehlot said, “the omen of a relaxed swearing-in ceremony will be so great that there will be a proper reorganization of our cabinet. And that will happen soon.”

    Amidst the discussion over reshuffle in the Rajasthan cabinet, CM Gehlot had also hinted to state Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra to keep just one post.  

    After the departure of three ministers, a total of 12 posts are vacant in the cabinet. Sources say that all posts are unlikely to be filled up together and there will be appointments only on 9 -10 posts.

    According to sources, four to five of the new names will be decided from those suggested by Pilot and five of those who CM Gehlot backs.

  • Decisions on Rajasthan government, organisation soon: Pilot

    Pilot also accused the Centre of collecting Rs 20 lakh crore through cess on petrol and diesel, giving no relief to people even after the price of crude in the international market “halved.”

  • Congress high command prepares blueprint for Rajasthan cabinet expansion, meets Gehlot & Pilot

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI/JAIPUR:  To end the rift in Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former state chief Sachin Pilot held separate discussions with top Congress leadership over the proposed cabinet reshuffle and major political appointments in the state.

    Sources say the party high command had prepared a blueprint for cabinet expansion which was discussed with Gehlot and Pilot. The process, pending for some time, is likely to start at the earliest. The high command wants to settle the matter at the earliest to avoid a crisis situation like Punjab.

    Gehlot met general secretary (organization) KC Venugopal, general secretary UP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and state incharge Ajay Maken at former party chief Rahul Gandhi’s residence. Pilot also met Venugopal Wednesday to discuss induction of his supporters in the government, boards, corporations and in the organisation.

    Sources say that besides identifying the new ministers, names of the chairpersons for various boards and corporations were decided in this meeting. In Rajasthan, appointments of chairman and members are to be made in 40 boards, corporations and commissions. In addition, how much VAT rates should be reduced on petrol and diesel was also discussed.

    Before leaving for Delhi, CM Gehlot had visited Jodhpur on Tuesday where he had given clear indications about the expansion of the cabinet. Asked why he was going to Delhi, he clearly hinted that the expansion of the cabinet was on the agenda of his trip to Delhi. 

    There is pressure on the high command to give space in the government and party organisation to Pilot and his supporters. Independent and ex-BSP MLAs who supported the government during the crisis after Pilot’s rebellion a year ago, will also be suitably rewarded.

  • Congress govt in Rajasthan will complete five-year tenure: CM Ashok Gehlot 

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Amid internal rumblings in the Punjab and Chhattisgarh Congress, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said his government will complete its full five-year tenure.

    Gehlot also exuded confidence that he would again come back to power after the next assembly elections and reflecting his aspiration to become the Rajasthan CM for a fourth term too, he added that he would allocate the Urban Development and Housing Department again to Shanti Dhariwal for the fourth time.

    Speaking at a programme at his residence here to launch the ‘Prashasan Shaharon Ke Sang’ and ‘Prashasan’ Gaon Ke Sang’ campaign, Gehlot said there was speculation doing the rounds about Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh after Punjab.

    “The Congress government in Rajasthan will not only complete its five-year tenure but will again come back to power in the next assembly elections in the state,” he said.

    He added that he would again allocate the Urban Development and Housing Ministry to Shanti Dhariwal for a fourth time as he has worked hard to make the campaign, launched today, successful.

    In Rajasthan, former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and Gehlot have been locked in a leadership tussle.

    In Chhattisgarh, after Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel completed his two-and-a-half-year tenure in June, the T S Singhdeo camp claimed that the Congress leadership in 2018 had agreed to give the post to him after the government completed half its term.

    The Cabinet reshuffle and political appointments are also pending for long in Rajasthan and the Pilot camp MLAs have been demanding from the party high command to fulfil the promises made to him last year.

    Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs had revolted against the leadership of chief minister Gehlot in July last year with the political uncertainties in the state existing for over one month.

    During Saturday’s programme, Gehlot, who underwent angioplasty in August, also said he is not going anywhere for the next 15-20 years.

    He said after the blockage in his heart artery, treatment was done.

    “The prayers of the people of the entire state helped me. Nothing is going to happen to me, nothing will happen for 15-20 years, if someone wants to be unhappy, it’s their problem,” he said.

    The chief minister claimed the ground level feedback reveals that there is no anti-incumbency in Rajasthan.

    “This is what people are saying. We have not left any stone unturned in doing the work but (we) don’t know what will happen next, but the mood of the public is of making us come back,” said the CM.

    In a light vein, he took a jibe at the bureaucracy saying bureaucrats are the first to worry if the government will stay in power or not and the first discussions on the issue start in the secretariat.

    He reiterated that the government will not only run for five years but come back to power also after the next elections.

    On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Gehlot said after 60 years, the BJP adopted Mahatma Gandhi for political interests.

    If they adopt Gandhi’s ideas as well, many problems will be solved, he added.

    “On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, I would like to say to (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat, (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah from the bottom of my heart that if you have adopted Gandhi, the sense of truth, non-violence and secularism too should be there in your hearts,” he said.

    Gehlot also accused a section of the media of reporting in a biased manner.

    Witing against the Congress and creating stories against its chief ministers are the compulsions of a section of the media, he claimed.

    Rajasthan PCC president and Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra, Urban Development and Housing Minister Shanti Dhariwal, Revenue Minister Harish Choudhary besides several other ministers, MLAs and senior officers too attended the programme.

  • Congress highlights internal feud brewing in Rajasthan BJP unit

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: A day after signs of internal feud surfaced in BJP’s Rajasthan unit ahead of the assembly session, the ruling Congress on Wednesday targeted the opposition party by describing it as an “undisciplined party having six chief ministerial candidates”.

    Commenting on the letter of senior BJP MLA and former speaker Kailash Meghwal to BJP national president J P Nadda against the Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria, Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said the questions that Meghwal has raised are important.

    “Though it is their internal matter, the questions which Meghwal has raised are important,” Khachariyawas told reporters on Wednesday.

    Health Minister Raghu Sharma said the infighting in the opposition party has clearly surfaced.

    “The sort of circumstances which have been created clearly shows that BJP is an undisciplined party. There are 6 CM candidates in BJP. The party recently took out Jan Ashirwad yatra but what are they seeking blessings for?” Sharma asked.

    He said that despite considerable decline in revenue, the Ashok Gehlot-led government in the state did not let development work suffer during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Meghwal had recently written a letter to BJP chief Nadda, saying that Kataria has damaged the saffron party with his comments on Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap and Lord Ram.

    Commenting on the letter, Kataria has said that he was ready to accept the party’s decision on the matter.

    “I am ready for whatever decision the party takes for me,” he said in a video message.

    MLA Meghwal informed the party’s state president Satish Poonia through a letter that he would move a resolution against Kataria in the party’s legislature meeting ahead of the assembly session, which will start on Thursday.

    The resolution will be introduced to condemn Kataria for his statements on Maharana Pratap and Lord Ram, which caused loss to the party during the by-elections, according to Meghwal’s letter written to Poonia on September 4.

    During campaigning for the bypolls in Rajsamand in April, Kataria stoked controversy by making derogatory remarks regarding Maharana Pratap, triggering widespread criticism.

    Around the same time, he also said that without BJP, ‘Shri Ram’ would have been in the sea.

  • RSS leader Nimbaram moves High Court in Jaipur bribery case

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: RSS leader Nimbaram who is an accused in a bribery case launched by the Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a petition in the Rajasthan High Court asking for the FIR against him to be quashed. The ‘Kshetriya Pracharak’ or regional publicist of the RSS in the state, Nimbaram is one of the four accused in a graft case involving alleged kickbacks of 20 crores in the Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation’s contract with a garbage collection firm. But Congress says that Nimbaram’s move proves that he is guilty and is only trying to save his skin. 

    In his plea before the High Court, Nimbaram has alleged that his name was being dragged into the issue due to political reasons. RSS and BJP leaders have repeatedly argued since the ACB booked him in June that Nimbaram is being dragged into the case only to defame a nationalist organisation.

    “We have said in the petition that the purported Rs 20 crore commission deal recorded on a video tape was not between the named RSS leader Nimbaram and BVG company officials. He is being politically harassed by the Congress party,” said BJP legal cell lawyer GS Gill, who filed the petition on behalf of the RSS leader at the Jaipur bench of the high court.

    He further added that political malice behind the case is “evident from the fact that the Congress has brought a resolution against the RSS. We have sought quashing of the FIR as the ACB has found no incriminating material against Nimbaram.” The petition argues that though Nimbaram was not seen speaking in the video, the ACB made him an accused only to please its political masters from the ruling Congress.

    The ACB had registered the case on the basis of a video clip that surfaced on social media, in which the Mayor’s husband Rajaram Gurjar and a BVG representative were allegedly trying to strike a deal for a Rs 20 crore ‘commission’ from the firm for getting its payment of Rs 276 crore released from the municipal body. RSS regional Pracharak Nimbaram was also seen sitting with them in this video on the basis of which the ACB has made him an accused in this corruption case.

    The ACB sent the videos for FSL examination after registering a preliminary enquiry (PE). Once the videos were certified as authentic, the ACB booked four people in this case, which includes RSS leader Nimbaram who was also seen in the video. The ACB has served two notices to Nimbaram but he is yet to respond to them and has not been spotted in Rajasthan for the past two months.

    While the ACB has arrested Rajaram Gurjar, the Mayor’s husband and a representative of BVG (the waste management firm engaged in door-to-door garbage collection in Jaipur) on charges of corruption, the ruling Congress wants that even RSS leader Nimbaram should be arrested in this case. Congress leaders also question that if the RSS Pracharak is innocent and has done nothing objectionable, why is Nimbaram skipping a meeting with ACB officials.

    After the  RSS leader filed petition in the court the Congress chief in the state  Govind Singh Dotasra has hit back and said that the move only proves that the Nimbaram is guilty conscious. At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday he remarked ,” our contention about his guilt is  has been proved by his move to go to the court. Since he is guilty we wany strong action against him now that he has moved the court we will see how the legal process goes ahead.”