E-Paper
Raje slams CM Gehlot over alleged paper leak; BJP youth wing stages protest
The youth protest led by state BJP chief Satish Poonia accused the Congress government of resorting to oppression as they are afraid that the BJP is raising its voice against injustice to the youth and unemployed
In a show of strength, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday attacked the Rajasthan government on two separate events with one being the BJP youth wing protest which was organised near the chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence in Jaipur over the issue of alleged Rajasthan Eligibility Examination Test paper leak.
Meanwhile, former state chief minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje held her grand birthday bash at Salasar Balaji temple in Churu district where she attacked Gehlot.
According to political experts, the two events are being seen as muscle-flexing for the BJP ahead of the assembly elections in Rajasthan scheduled for the end of this year.
The youth protest led by state BJP chief Satish Poonia accused the Congress government of resorting to oppression as they are afraid that the BJP is raising its voice against injustice to the youth and unemployed.
Addressing BJP workers in Jaipur, Poonia said workers from all across Rajasthan have gathered to demand justice for youth in the state who have been cheated by the Congress government.
Chanting slogans of “Gehlot sarkar weak hai, tabhi toh paper leak hai,” Poonia said, “The last nail in the coffin of the Gehlot government has been dug. These are the last few days of the Gehlot government which is anti-Dalit, anti-women, anti-minority.”
BJP also alleged that the police used water cannons to disperse the protesting crowd and also lathi-charged them. Poonia accused the Congress government of resorting to oppression stating that they are afraid that the BJP is raising its voice against injustice to the youth and unemployed.
The protest, led to the CM house by Poonia, was also joined by Rajasthan BJP in-charge Arun Singh, deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore, and BJYM [Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha] state president Himanshu Sharma.
Meanwhile, Poonia said the BJP will carry out protests in all district collectorates between March 15 and 30.
On the other hand, Raje, who held a grand public birthday celebration in Churu joined by hundreds of BJP supporters, made an appeal to people to bring the BJP government in Rajasthan. “The land of Rajasthan is our mother. Now the time has come...no one can stop us from putting the crown of development on the forehead of our mother,” she said.
“As a soldier of the organisation, I am carrying the torch of ideology under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and under the leadership of national president JP Nadda,” the two-time former state chief minister said.
A string of leaders known to be close to Raje were at the celebration. Among the leaders were Jhalawar MP and Raje’s son Dushyant Singh, Churu MP Rahul Kaswan, Ganganagar MP Rahul Kaswan, Jaipur MP Nihalchand, MLA Pratap Singhvi, Anita Bhadel, Deepti Maheswari, former MLAs Kalicharan Saraf, Ashok Parnami, Rajpal Shekhawat, Yunus Khan, former minister Kailash Meghwal and several other leaders.
Raje too attacked the Gehlot-led government on exam paper leaks, saying the unemployed youth were running from pillar to post but there is no transparency in recruitment. “Everyone knows who are the masterminds but they are not being caught,” she said.
She said the government claims they have given 3.5 lakh jobs, but “if it is true why don’t they put up the figures on the website?” she asked.
Remembering her mother, Vijaya Raje Scindia, Raje said, “My mother told her that the people of Rajasthan are your family now… do whatever is needed for them… if you have to give your life for them, you should be ready.”
She recalled former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying he taught her how to be courageous in challenging times and how to overcome them.
Raje also referred to late Bhairon Singh Shelhawat, saying he was her political guru and taught her politics. “He told me along with your heart, you have to use your mind or else you can’t achieve anything.”
She said no one is safe under the Congress government, whether it is women, Dalits, traders, farmers or the general public.
“There is injustice, unemployment, loot, rapes, communal strife, people are crying tears of blood. Gangs are operating with impunity… Rajasthan is burning and the CM is sleeping… but the people’s anger has reached the seat of power… soon there will be no seat and no government,” she said.
Raje added that the Congress government has failed on all fronts in the state whether it was roads, education health, or power.
According to political analysts, the two high-profile events of the BJP could be seen as a fight for prestige between Raje and Poonia who share cold vibes.
Political analyst Manish Godha said, “It became a prestige point for Poonia to ensure that the BJYM protest was not overshadowed by Raje’s celebration. He had to ensure there was a large turnout and the BJP was seen as a strong opposition that was taking on the Congress on all issues.”
There are several contenders for the post of CM in the BJP which has compelled the BJP to announce that it will go into elections without projecting a CM face. However, Raje and her supporters tried to use her birthday bash as a show of strength to try and convey to the party leadership that she is the state BJP’s most popular leader with a mass following.
Rajasthan BJP in-charge Arun Singh tried to do a balancing act, attending both events.
Asked about the two events, he told HT, “There can be multiple events on a given day. As a political party, we do multi-tasking.”
Singh claimed that there is no infighting in the BJP. “The BJP stands united. It is Congress that is disunited. The Congress leaders target each other calling
On Raje’s birthday celebrations, he said, “This is not a fight for supremacy. A leader can celebrate his or her birthday among supporters.”
