Vasundhara Raje maintained remarkable silence as the Ashok Gehlot-Sachin Pilot feud came to light
New Delhi:
Top BJP leader Vasundhara Raje Scindia’s “silence” over political developments in Rajasthan may be a “strategy,” party colleague and Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat said on Sunday.
In an interview with the PTI, Mr. Shekhawat, who was accused by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, of attempting to overthrow his government, also claimed that it was the leader of Congress who orchestrated the ” political drama in the state to target rivals in the party and outside.
“He was unable to understand that I defeated his son in Lok Sabha’s election and is trying everything against me, by hook or by crook to avenge his defeat,” said Mr. Shekhawat, who represents Jodhpur and had beaten Vaibhav Gehlot. in Lok 2019. Election of Sabha by more than 2.74 lakh votes.
Stressing that the BJP has nothing to do with the political crisis in Rajasthan, Mr. Shekhawat argued that it was the fallout from the infighting in Congress involving Mr. Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
“With this drama going on in the state, he (Gehlot) wants to eliminate Sachin (Pilot) and others from the party. He blames the BJP for this whole crisis and tries to tarnish the image of his leadership,” said Mr. Shekhawat.
Asked whether former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia was largely silent on the issue, Mr. Shekhawat said: “Vasundharaji’s silence can be a strategy and sometimes silence is louder than words.”
He declined to give more details, however.
When the Gehlot-Pilot feud came to light, Ms. Raje, the two-time chief minister, maintained a conspicuous silence as all other BJP leaders in the state spoke about the issue and attacked Congress.
A week later, she posted a few tweets saying some people were trying to confuse political developments in the state and insisted that she support her party and ideology.
His remarks came in the context of Nagaur MP and Rashtriya Loktantrik party organizer Hanuman Beniwal, accusing him of having an “internal alliance” with Mr. Gehlot.
Mr Beniwal criticized Ms Raje and left the BJP in 2018 ahead of the Assembly elections.
Differences between Raje and the party’s central leadership over the appointment of the BJP Head of Unit in Rajasthan in 2018 had delayed it by more than two months and consensus was finally reached on the name of Madan Lal Saini.
After the party lost the last Rajasthan Assembly elections, Ms. Raje was appointed BJP vice-chair.
Mr Shekhawat alleged that the chief minister transferring MPs to Jaisalmer shows he does not trust them and that the government lacks a majority.
Claiming that there had been a “vertical spill” in state government since Congress came to power in the state in 2018, he said: “When the CM himself said that he and Sachin hadn’t spoken to each other for over a year and a half, then he tells you the whole story. “
“With MPs being moved to Jaisalmer to a fortress, it makes it clear that the Chief Minister does not trust his own MPs and rather than tackling the coronavirus crisis, he is fighting to keep his house in order. It also shows that the government lacks a majority, ”he said.
Sadly, innocent people in the state are paying the price for infighting in Congress, the BJP leader said.
Gajendra Shekhawat, second MP from Jodhpur, is Union Minister Jal Shakti.
He started his career as a student leader at the University of Jodhpur in 1992 and was later associated with various organizations supported by RSS. He worked closely with the former chief minister and the late BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in the 1993 assembly polls in Rajasthan.
He became famous for his work as Secretary General of Seema Jan Kalyan Samiti, a Sangh-backed team working in the border areas of Rajasthan.
