News Analysis India

Tag: Vasundhara Raje

  • Sachin Pilot compares Rajasthan with Karnataka, asks Gehlot govt to fulfil promise on ‘corruption’

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday cited his party’s victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls to push for action by the Ashok Gehlot government over alleged corruption during the previous BJP rule in Rajasthan.

    As the assembly polls approach in Rajasthan, the former deputy chief minister mounted pressure on Chief Minister Gehlot and the party’s top leadership with a five-day yatra which ended Monday with a big rally in Jaipur.

    In an effort to corner Gehlot, Pilot has been demanding action over accusations of corruption made by the Congress ahead of the Rajasthan polls in 2018.

    In an interview with PTI before the Jaipur rally, he compared the situation now in Karnataka, where the Congress has swept the assembly polls, with that in Rajasthan in 2018.

    “We levelled allegations of corruption against the BJP government in Karnataka. The Congress has got a mandate there and if no action against corruption by the (BJP’s) Bommai government is taken, will people listen to us after five years?” he said.

    “This is the situation here in Rajasthan. So I want action taken on this,” he added.

    Pilot’s argument is that the Congress levelled corruption charges against the BJP government of Vasundhara Raje ahead of the 2018 elections, and people expected it to act on the issue once it came to power.

    He asked how he could be wrong in talking about corruption that took place during the term of the previous BJP government in the state.

    Pilot, who is locked in a leadership tussle with Gehlot in the state, said he will continue to raise the issue in the future as well.

    At the rally later, he was more categorical.

    He threatened to launch a major agitation if his demands are not met by the month-end.

    About 15 Congress MLAs shared the dais with him in the show of strength.

    In 2018 the party’s top leadership faced in Rajasthan a dilemma of the kind it encounters in Karnataka where it is forced to pick between two CM aspirants — D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.

    The party had then gone with Gehlot, disappointing Pilot who claimed to have led the Congress to victory as the president of the state unit.

    Pilot said when Gehlot was given the opportunity by the party to run the state government for the first time in 1998 he was just 47 or 48 years old, and veteran Congress leaders of that time followed the party discipline.

    Pilot (45) was possibly alluding to the argument that he is too young to become the chief minister.

    He also criticised Gehlot loyalist and minister Shanti Dhariwal’s recent remark that the CM has shown several big leaders their place.

    Reacting to Gehlot’s recent remark that he never boasted about how he won 156 seats for the Congress in 1998, Pilot said no one can boast or take credit for something like this.

    It is the party that contests elections and votes are given on policies and principles, he said.

    When asked about the state government schemes, Pilot said, “A good budget comes, good announcements are made, good policy is made. But why don’t we get the votes? It is the reality and the bitter truth.”

    He said he has raised several issues on party platforms to ensure this doesn’t happen in the coming Rajasthan elections.

    Pilot has been asking the party to resolve “issues” he had raised in 2020 when he and 18 other Congress MLAs revolted against Gehlot’s leadership.

    When asked about reports that he has decided to quit the Congress if issues concerning him are not addressed, Pilot called it speculation created by the media.

    He said the Congress party got huge support in the 2018 elections on the promise that it will take action on “corruption” by the then Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government.

    But no action was taken, he said.

    So he wrote letters to the CM for one and a half years, and then held a one-day fast in Jaipur last month.

    On party leaders calling his foot march from Ajmer to Jaipur a “personal” yatra, the leader said the issues raised by him got huge support from the public.

    “People are coming together on these issues despite the scorching heat, they are walking with me. The support one can see on the road is the support for the issues which I am raising,” he said.

    At the rally, he gave the Gehlot government an ultimatum to agree to three demands, including a high-level probe into “corruption” by the BJP government.

    The dissident leader also demanded the reconstitution of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) over exam paper leaks, and compensation for aspirants who suffered due to this.

    JAIPUR: Dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday cited his party’s victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls to push for action by the Ashok Gehlot government over alleged corruption during the previous BJP rule in Rajasthan.

    As the assembly polls approach in Rajasthan, the former deputy chief minister mounted pressure on Chief Minister Gehlot and the party’s top leadership with a five-day yatra which ended Monday with a big rally in Jaipur.

    In an effort to corner Gehlot, Pilot has been demanding action over accusations of corruption made by the Congress ahead of the Rajasthan polls in 2018.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    In an interview with PTI before the Jaipur rally, he compared the situation now in Karnataka, where the Congress has swept the assembly polls, with that in Rajasthan in 2018.

    “We levelled allegations of corruption against the BJP government in Karnataka. The Congress has got a mandate there and if no action against corruption by the (BJP’s) Bommai government is taken, will people listen to us after five years?” he said.

    “This is the situation here in Rajasthan. So I want action taken on this,” he added.

    Pilot’s argument is that the Congress levelled corruption charges against the BJP government of Vasundhara Raje ahead of the 2018 elections, and people expected it to act on the issue once it came to power.

    He asked how he could be wrong in talking about corruption that took place during the term of the previous BJP government in the state.

    Pilot, who is locked in a leadership tussle with Gehlot in the state, said he will continue to raise the issue in the future as well.

    At the rally later, he was more categorical.

    He threatened to launch a major agitation if his demands are not met by the month-end.

    About 15 Congress MLAs shared the dais with him in the show of strength.

    In 2018 the party’s top leadership faced in Rajasthan a dilemma of the kind it encounters in Karnataka where it is forced to pick between two CM aspirants — D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.

    The party had then gone with Gehlot, disappointing Pilot who claimed to have led the Congress to victory as the president of the state unit.

    Pilot said when Gehlot was given the opportunity by the party to run the state government for the first time in 1998 he was just 47 or 48 years old, and veteran Congress leaders of that time followed the party discipline.

    Pilot (45) was possibly alluding to the argument that he is too young to become the chief minister.

    He also criticised Gehlot loyalist and minister Shanti Dhariwal’s recent remark that the CM has shown several big leaders their place.

    Reacting to Gehlot’s recent remark that he never boasted about how he won 156 seats for the Congress in 1998, Pilot said no one can boast or take credit for something like this.

    It is the party that contests elections and votes are given on policies and principles, he said.

    When asked about the state government schemes, Pilot said, “A good budget comes, good announcements are made, good policy is made. But why don’t we get the votes? It is the reality and the bitter truth.”

    He said he has raised several issues on party platforms to ensure this doesn’t happen in the coming Rajasthan elections.

    Pilot has been asking the party to resolve “issues” he had raised in 2020 when he and 18 other Congress MLAs revolted against Gehlot’s leadership.

    When asked about reports that he has decided to quit the Congress if issues concerning him are not addressed, Pilot called it speculation created by the media.

    He said the Congress party got huge support in the 2018 elections on the promise that it will take action on “corruption” by the then Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government.

    But no action was taken, he said.

    So he wrote letters to the CM for one and a half years, and then held a one-day fast in Jaipur last month.

    On party leaders calling his foot march from Ajmer to Jaipur a “personal” yatra, the leader said the issues raised by him got huge support from the public.

    “People are coming together on these issues despite the scorching heat, they are walking with me. The support one can see on the road is the support for the issues which I am raising,” he said.

    At the rally, he gave the Gehlot government an ultimatum to agree to three demands, including a high-level probe into “corruption” by the BJP government.

    The dissident leader also demanded the reconstitution of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) over exam paper leaks, and compensation for aspirants who suffered due to this.

  • Public accepted issues raised during ‘Jan Sangharsh Yatra’: Sachin Pilot

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the public has accepted the issues on which he started his “Jan Sangharsh Yatra” — corruption and government recruitment exam paper leaks.

    The yatra, on its fourth day on Sunday, covered a distance of around 25 km from Mehla town in Jaipur district to Mahapura, where the dissident Congress leader is scheduled to stay the night.

    Addressing his supporters from the top of a bus in Mahapura on the Ajmer highway, Pilot said the yatra will reach its destination in Jaipur Monday.

    “The public has accepted the issues on which the yatra was started — paper leaks and corruption — for the future of the youth and clean politics,” he said.

    “This is not about a person…the public is standing by the issues with which we started,” he said.

    Pilot also saluted the enthusiasm of his supporters and invited people to his public rally to be organised on the fifth and last day of his yatra near Kamla Nehru Nagar on Ajmer highway in Jaipur.

    Pilot started his yatra from Ajmer on the issues of corruption and government recruitment exam paper leaks.

    “The yatra is getting overwhelming response from people. Be it the youth or the elderly, all are attending the padayatra,” an aide of Pilot said.

    Pilot began the foot march from Ajmer on Thursday, challenging Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the party’s top brass as assembly elections in Rajasthan approach.

    The yatra mounts further pressure on the party leadership as it hopes to retain the state in the elections at the end of the year.

    The march comes days after Gehlot accused the MLAs involved in the 2020 revolt of taking money from the BJP.

    Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs had then sought a leadership change in Rajasthan.

    He was sacked as the party’s state unit president and the deputy chief minister.

    The two Congress strongmen in Rajasthan have been at loggerheads over the post of chief minister ever since the party formed the government in the state in 2018.

    JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Sunday said the public has accepted the issues on which he started his “Jan Sangharsh Yatra” — corruption and government recruitment exam paper leaks.

    The yatra, on its fourth day on Sunday, covered a distance of around 25 km from Mehla town in Jaipur district to Mahapura, where the dissident Congress leader is scheduled to stay the night.

    Addressing his supporters from the top of a bus in Mahapura on the Ajmer highway, Pilot said the yatra will reach its destination in Jaipur Monday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “The public has accepted the issues on which the yatra was started — paper leaks and corruption — for the future of the youth and clean politics,” he said.

    “This is not about a person…the public is standing by the issues with which we started,” he said.

    Pilot also saluted the enthusiasm of his supporters and invited people to his public rally to be organised on the fifth and last day of his yatra near Kamla Nehru Nagar on Ajmer highway in Jaipur.

    Pilot started his yatra from Ajmer on the issues of corruption and government recruitment exam paper leaks.

    “The yatra is getting overwhelming response from people. Be it the youth or the elderly, all are attending the padayatra,” an aide of Pilot said.

    Pilot began the foot march from Ajmer on Thursday, challenging Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the party’s top brass as assembly elections in Rajasthan approach.

    The yatra mounts further pressure on the party leadership as it hopes to retain the state in the elections at the end of the year.

    The march comes days after Gehlot accused the MLAs involved in the 2020 revolt of taking money from the BJP.

    Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs had then sought a leadership change in Rajasthan.

    He was sacked as the party’s state unit president and the deputy chief minister.

    The two Congress strongmen in Rajasthan have been at loggerheads over the post of chief minister ever since the party formed the government in the state in 2018.

  • Pilot slams Rajasthan CM Gehlot over Raje remark

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR:  The rift between two top Congress leaders in Rajasthan has further deepened, with Sachin Pilot hitting out at Ashok Gehlot for his remarks that Vasundhara Raje saved his government in 2020.

    At a press conference in Jaipur on Tuesday, Pilot said, “After listening to Ashok Gehlot’s speech at Dholpur on Sunday, it reflects that it is not Sonia Gandhi but Vasundhara Raje is his real leader.”

    Pilot announced his decision to begin a padyatra from Ajmer to Jaipur on May 11 in an attempt to expose the corrupt deals of the previous Raje government and paper leaks during the Gehlot rule. Elections are due in Rajasthan this year. Pilot claimed that his charge of nexus between Gehlot and Raje stands proven by the chief minister’s own statements that the BJP leader had saved his government. 

    On Sunday, Gehlot expressed his gratitude to former CM Vasundhara Raje, Kailash Meghwal and BJP MLA Shobharani for helping him prevent toppling the government, despite belonging to the BJP. While Gehlot claims that the BJP tried to topple his government, but at the same suggests that Raje saved his government, said Pilot, asking the CM to clarify his stance.

    Asserting his claim for the post of Chief Minister in Rajasthan, Pilot mentioned meeting various leaders, including the late Ahmed Patel, and the formation of a committee comprising Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal. Pilot claimed that the roadmap was devised after considering their perspectives.

    He along with his loyalist MLAs worked towards strengthening the Congress during the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan  Sabha polls.

    The progress made over the past two and a half years serves as a testament to their efforts, said Pilot and emphasised that they did not engage in any act of indiscipline. However, in September of last year when there was an opportunity to discuss the matter with the MLAs, Gehlot compelled some of them to resign.

    Pilot announced the padyatra, stating, “I have raised the issue of corruption, and will continue to raise it. There has been no response regarding Vasundhara Raje’s corruption and the paper leak. That’s why I have decided to embark on a 125km walk from the RPSC in Ajmer, where many papers were leaked, to Jaipur on May 11. I will interact with the public during this padyatra, which is aimed at fighting corruption and supporting the youth.”

    On his next political move, Pilot said, “some individuals want a weak Congress and a split in the party. They are attempting my character assassination. We will not allow this to happen. My stance on public issues will remain unchanged. The people are more important than any leader, and we will present all these matters to the public,” he said.

    JAIPUR:  The rift between two top Congress leaders in Rajasthan has further deepened, with Sachin Pilot hitting out at Ashok Gehlot for his remarks that Vasundhara Raje saved his government in 2020.

    At a press conference in Jaipur on Tuesday, Pilot said, “After listening to Ashok Gehlot’s speech at Dholpur on Sunday, it reflects that it is not Sonia Gandhi but Vasundhara Raje is his real leader.”

    Pilot announced his decision to begin a padyatra from Ajmer to Jaipur on May 11 in an attempt to expose the corrupt deals of the previous Raje government and paper leaks during the Gehlot rule. Elections are due in Rajasthan this year. Pilot claimed that his charge of nexus between Gehlot and Raje stands proven by the chief minister’s own statements that the BJP leader had saved his government. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    On Sunday, Gehlot expressed his gratitude to former CM Vasundhara Raje, Kailash Meghwal and BJP MLA Shobharani for helping him prevent toppling the government, despite belonging to the BJP. While Gehlot claims that the BJP tried to topple his government, but at the same suggests that Raje saved his government, said Pilot, asking the CM to clarify his stance.

    Asserting his claim for the post of Chief Minister in Rajasthan, Pilot mentioned meeting various leaders, including the late Ahmed Patel, and the formation of a committee comprising Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal. Pilot claimed that the roadmap was devised after considering their perspectives.

    He along with his loyalist MLAs worked towards strengthening the Congress during the Rajya Sabha and Vidhan  Sabha polls.

    The progress made over the past two and a half years serves as a testament to their efforts, said Pilot and emphasised that they did not engage in any act of indiscipline. However, in September of last year when there was an opportunity to discuss the matter with the MLAs, Gehlot compelled some of them to resign.

    Pilot announced the padyatra, stating, “I have raised the issue of corruption, and will continue to raise it. There has been no response regarding Vasundhara Raje’s corruption and the paper leak. That’s why I have decided to embark on a 125km walk from the RPSC in Ajmer, where many papers were leaked, to Jaipur on May 11. I will interact with the public during this padyatra, which is aimed at fighting corruption and supporting the youth.”

    On his next political move, Pilot said, “some individuals want a weak Congress and a split in the party. They are attempting my character assassination. We will not allow this to happen. My stance on public issues will remain unchanged. The people are more important than any leader, and we will present all these matters to the public,” he said.

  • Sachin Pilot says will continue to protest graft during former CM Raje’s regime

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR:  Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot has asserted he will continue with his agitation for action against the corruption of the previous BJP government.

    Speaking to the media in Jaipur on Sunday, Pilot said he will not back down from the stand he has taken against the state Congress government and has been “politely requesting” it to take action in corruption cases of the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje.

    Pilot also remarked that despite his fast on April 11, no action has been taken in these cases. “Speaking the truth, raising voice against corruption and injustice, is among the values of the Congress party. Following these values, I observed a one-day fast on April 11. Today, it’s been two weeks, no action has been taken so far. So, again I politely request the government to fulfil the promises we had made to the people,” Pilot told reporters after offering prayers at Jaipur’s famous  Jharkhand Temple on Sunday.

    Pilot added that he greatly welcomes the action taken by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which arrested several corrupt IAS, IPS, RAS and other officers. 

    He further said, “the chief minister himself had said that ACB is active and has raided several corrupt officers, which we all welcome. But, when he had come to power after being in opposition for five years, we never said that we would arrest a patwari or officer. We had said we will take action in the corruption cases that happened in Vasundhara Ji’s tenure.”

    ALSO READ | ‘We are all united’: Rajasthan Congress chief on Gehlot-Pilot issue

    Significantly, Pilot wondered how demanding action against corruption is being termed as an ‘anti-party activity’. Instead, he said that the September 25 incident when pro-Gehlot MLAs had boycotted the CLP meeting in Jaipur, was a virtual rebellion against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the real damage to the party was due to that action of the MLAs last year.

    Pilot also raised questions over the inaction against the pro-Gehlot leaders who had defied the party’s high command in September 2022.

    “It is true that the incident that took place on September 25 was an open violation of the orders of our Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken were openly insulted. Why hasn’t action been taken against them yet? The answer lies with the party,” Pilot remarked as he once again asserted.

    Pilot also argued that it was unfair to call his fast ‘anti-party’ and said “this is the first time that even before an event took place, it was declared so.

    ALSO READ | AAP, RLP keep door open for Sachin Pilot

    JAIPUR:  Senior Congress leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan Sachin Pilot has asserted he will continue with his agitation for action against the corruption of the previous BJP government.

    Speaking to the media in Jaipur on Sunday, Pilot said he will not back down from the stand he has taken against the state Congress government and has been “politely requesting” it to take action in corruption cases of the previous BJP government led by Vasundhara Raje.

    Pilot also remarked that despite his fast on April 11, no action has been taken in these cases. “Speaking the truth, raising voice against corruption and injustice, is among the values of the Congress party. Following these values, I observed a one-day fast on April 11. Today, it’s been two weeks, no action has been taken so far. So, again I politely request the government to fulfil the promises we had made to the people,” Pilot told reporters after offering prayers at Jaipur’s famous  Jharkhand Temple on Sunday.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Pilot added that he greatly welcomes the action taken by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which arrested several corrupt IAS, IPS, RAS and other officers. 

    He further said, “the chief minister himself had said that ACB is active and has raided several corrupt officers, which we all welcome. But, when he had come to power after being in opposition for five years, we never said that we would arrest a patwari or officer. We had said we will take action in the corruption cases that happened in Vasundhara Ji’s tenure.”

    ALSO READ | ‘We are all united’: Rajasthan Congress chief on Gehlot-Pilot issue

    Significantly, Pilot wondered how demanding action against corruption is being termed as an ‘anti-party activity’. Instead, he said that the September 25 incident when pro-Gehlot MLAs had boycotted the CLP meeting in Jaipur, was a virtual rebellion against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the real damage to the party was due to that action of the MLAs last year.

    Pilot also raised questions over the inaction against the pro-Gehlot leaders who had defied the party’s high command in September 2022.

    “It is true that the incident that took place on September 25 was an open violation of the orders of our Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken were openly insulted. Why hasn’t action been taken against them yet? The answer lies with the party,” Pilot remarked as he once again asserted.

    Pilot also argued that it was unfair to call his fast ‘anti-party’ and said “this is the first time that even before an event took place, it was declared so.

    ALSO READ | AAP, RLP keep door open for Sachin Pilot

  • Birthday bash not show of strength, says Raje as BJP faces popularity test in Rajasthan

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: With polls in Rajasthan slated for December this year, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday said that her recently concluded birthday celebrations was not a show of strength and that it was about her devotion. 

    This comes after Raje’s birthday bash on March 4 saw over fifty thousand people including several MLAs and MPs gather at the Slasar Dham in Churu, forcing the BJP high command to think about her popularity.

    Speaking to the media Raje said, “It is not a show of strength, but devotion. It is not right to publicize it in the media as a show of strength.” Raje’s powerplay comes at a time when the internal dispute is rife within the BJP with several party members jockeying to become the party’s chief ministerial face. Among those is state BJP president Satish Poonia, whose tussle with Raje has been well documented. 

    In a bid to counter Raje’s birthday bash, Poonia organised a protest on the same day against the Gehlot administration over the issue of paper leak, with instructions issued to all party lawmakers to participate in the protest.

    However, the Raje camp has claimed that as many as 12 MPs, 52 MLAs and 118 former MLAs of the party had taken part in the BJP leader’s birthday celebrations. This also included BJP’s State in-charge Arun Singh who visited Salasar to congratulate Raje and project a show of solidarity.

    Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP’s state in-charge Arun Singh have said that the assembly elections to be held this year will be fought under the collective leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But Raje’s supporters have been persistently demanding the party to make her the chief ministerial face and argue that no leader within the Rajasthan BJP camp is of her stature.

    Experts believe that by holding a grand rally in Salasar, Raje has given a befitting reply to her opponents in the party and also sent a message of her popularity to the central leadership. This comes as the role of Leader of the Opposition continues to be vacant after senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria became the Governor of Assam. It is to be seen whether the BJP leadership will hand a bigger role to Raje ahead of the assembly elections.

    JAIPUR: With polls in Rajasthan slated for December this year, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday said that her recently concluded birthday celebrations was not a show of strength and that it was about her devotion. 

    This comes after Raje’s birthday bash on March 4 saw over fifty thousand people including several MLAs and MPs gather at the Slasar Dham in Churu, forcing the BJP high command to think about her popularity.

    Speaking to the media Raje said, “It is not a show of strength, but devotion. It is not right to publicize it in the media as a show of strength.” Raje’s powerplay comes at a time when the internal dispute is rife within the BJP with several party members jockeying to become the party’s chief ministerial face. Among those is state BJP president Satish Poonia, whose tussle with Raje has been well documented. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    In a bid to counter Raje’s birthday bash, Poonia organised a protest on the same day against the Gehlot administration over the issue of paper leak, with instructions issued to all party lawmakers to participate in the protest.

    However, the Raje camp has claimed that as many as 12 MPs, 52 MLAs and 118 former MLAs of the party had taken part in the BJP leader’s birthday celebrations. This also included BJP’s State in-charge Arun Singh who visited Salasar to congratulate Raje and project a show of solidarity.

    Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP’s state in-charge Arun Singh have said that the assembly elections to be held this year will be fought under the collective leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But Raje’s supporters have been persistently demanding the party to make her the chief ministerial face and argue that no leader within the Rajasthan BJP camp is of her stature.

    Experts believe that by holding a grand rally in Salasar, Raje has given a befitting reply to her opponents in the party and also sent a message of her popularity to the central leadership. This comes as the role of Leader of the Opposition continues to be vacant after senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria became the Governor of Assam. It is to be seen whether the BJP leadership will hand a bigger role to Raje ahead of the assembly elections.

  • Rajasthan CM Gehlot orders survey to assess damage to crops due to rains

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday instructed officials to conduct a survey to assess the loss of property due to the heavy rainfall in Kota and neighbouring areas.

    Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, along with her son and Jhalawar-Baran MP Dushyant Singh, also conducted an aerial survey of flooded areas in Jhalawar, Kota and Baran districts.

    According to a government spokesperson, officials have been asked to assess the damage to crops in flood-affected areas in the state.

    Gehlot said the families of those who died due to floods will be compensated from State Disaster Response Fund.

    Many areas in Kota division and nearby areas have been flooded due to heavy rains in the last two days.

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday instructed officials to conduct a survey to assess the loss of property due to the heavy rainfall in Kota and neighbouring areas.

    Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, along with her son and Jhalawar-Baran MP Dushyant Singh, also conducted an aerial survey of flooded areas in Jhalawar, Kota and Baran districts.

    According to a government spokesperson, officials have been asked to assess the damage to crops in flood-affected areas in the state.

    Gehlot said the families of those who died due to floods will be compensated from State Disaster Response Fund.

    Many areas in Kota division and nearby areas have been flooded due to heavy rains in the last two days.

  • Nadda calls for BJP unity, Vasundhara Raje skips Rajasthan camp

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: Rift in the Rajasthan BJP once again came to the fore as former chief minister Vasundhara Raje stayed away from the three-day training camp held for the party leaders and workers in Mount Abu.

    Raje’s absence particularly stuck out as BJP president JP Nadda reached the event to address the cadre on the concluding day of the camp on Tuesday. Raje, meanwhile, had a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

    Speaking at the event, Nadda urged the party cadre not to involve family members in politics, saying they should help the country and society and not their family members. “No person is bigger than the party. Only if the party is good, will you be good. Everyone’s turn comes in politics. Keep the sentiment of ‘us’ in your minds, not the sentiment of ‘me’,” he said.

    In the three-day camp, the party workers were apprised of many issues, including the need to strengthen the organisation, make the schemes of the central government reach the people, and target the state government over various problems.

    Meanwhile, Raje stayed away from the event on all three days. Her loyalists are keen that she should be projected as the party’s choice for the Chief Minister’s post before the Assembly elections next year. 

  • Vasundhara Raje’s Mewar yatra sets BJP abuzz, ex-Rajasthan CM claims no political motive

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR: While the tussle in the Congress appears to have calmed down, the religious tour of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Mewar has raised political temperatures in the BJP in Rajasthan. The former chief minister began her yatra from Sanwaliya Ji Temple in Chittorgarh on Tuesday. She will cover six districts till November 25 during which she will visit Tripura Sundari Temple in Banswara, Shrinath Ji Temple in Nathdwara and the Eklingji and Charbhuja temples in Udaipur.

    She will also address meetings at different places. She will also pay homage to party leaders who passed away due to Covid-19 and pray for the state’s prosperity in various temples. “From the very beginning, I believe in ‘dharm-neeti’ instead of ‘rajneeti’,” Raje said.

    “My aim is not political but I only want to meet all those who are a part of our family and give strength to those families who have lost their loved ones due to Covid. And I want to go to all these temples which have always helped us in order to thank them as Covid threat is now being removed from our lives.” Though Raje claimed that the tour was apolitical, it has set off a buzz that she is trying to once again reassert herself ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

    Raje’s yatra comes after the BJP’s crushing defeat in the bypolls in two seats in Mewar, with party’s candidates coming at number three and four positions. Interestingly, Mewar, one of the most politically crucial regions of the state, is the stronghold of her main rival in the party and the leader of opposition, Gulabchand Kataria.

    According to sources, Kataria has not even been informed about Raje’s tour. Raje loyalists from across the state have become active again in this important division. Leaders supported by the former CM like Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Pratap Singh Singhvi, Prahlad Gunjal, B S Rajawat and Ashok Parnami are all seen as active in the yatra. Political experts believe Raje aims to show her penetration in her rival’s bastion which is set to intensify the fight for supremacy in the party.

  • It’s not political, says Vasundhara Raje as her Mewar yatra creates buzz

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Tuesday started her four-day tour of Mewar and Merwara regions during which she will visit various temples and meet the families of BJP leaders who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The yatra that will cover six districts has created a buzz as it is seen as an attempt to reassert her position in the state BJP after maintaining a low profile following her defeat in the 2018 assembly polls, but Raje said that the visit is not political.

    “From the very beginning, I believe in ‘dharm-neeti’ (righteous policy) instead of ‘rajneeti’ (politics),” she said.

    The BJP leader said she will pay homage to those who have passed away due to COVID-19 and pray for the prosperity of the state in various temples.

    ”This programme of four days is not political. My daughter-in-law was sick for the last 10 months. With the blessings of Sawaliya Seth, her health is now improving. Due to her deteriorating health, I could not come to express my condolences on the death of our colleagues, so I have come now,” she said.

    Raje was speaking while addressing a gathering after offering prayers at the Sanwaliya temple.

    The BJP veteran will be visiting various temples, including Tripura Sundari in Banswara where she has often paid obeisance during her political campaigns.

    “Today, I bowed before Sanwalia Seth and wished for the prosperity of the state. I am overwhelmed by the affectionate welcome of the people’s representatives, workers, farmers and youths,” Raje later said on Twitter.

    Raje visited the family of late BJP MLA from Dhariyawad Gautam Lal Meena who succumbed to COVID-19 in May.

    The Congress won the seat in the recent bypolls, while the BJP came third.

    Raje said that during the rule of her government, development works worth Rs 550 crore were carried out at 125 temples.

    She will be covering six districts of Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Banswara, Rajsamand, Bhilwara and Ajmer during the yatra.

    The former chief minister will conclude her tour at Ajmer Sharif Dargah.

    Apart from Sanwaliya temple, Raje will offer prayers at Tripura Sundari temple in Banswara on Tuesday evening, Charbhuja temple, Dwarkadhish temple (Rajsamand), Eklingji temple (Udaipur) on Wednesday, Nathdwara temple (Rajsamand) on Thursday, Brahma temple (Pushkar, Ajmer) and Ajmer dargah on Friday.

    She will pay homage to former MLAs, including Kiran Maheshwari and Jeetmal Khant, who died during the pandemic.

  • Loyalists seek Vasundhara Raje return after BJP’s Rajasthan bypoll debacle

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR:   After facing a crushing defeat in the Vallabhnagar and Dhariyavad by-elections, there is discord within Rajasthan BJP with Vasundhara Raje camp getting active again.

    Two of Raje loyalists, former MLAs Prahlad Gunjal and Bhavani Singh Rajawat have questioned party’s defeat raising demand to hand over the leadership to the former CM along with making her the face of the party for the 2023 assembly elections.

    Ruling Congress had emerged victorious on both seats, the BJP suffered a big blow as it finished third and fourth after votes were counted on Tuesday.  

    Vallabhnagar seat was already with the Congress but the win was especially impressive on the Dhariyavad seat which it wrested from the BJP. 

    In the anti-Raje camp from the RSS, however, leaders cracked that Raje supporters are afraid of losing their ticket.

    “Vasundhara ji’s supporters should also tell if there was so much charisma under the leadership of Raje, then why did the party lo the elections in 2018 despite the huge wave of Modi,” said a senior leaders on the condition of anonymity.