The Congress on Sunday announced 10 candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections giving voice to rumblings of discontent and one of such came from party national spokesperson Pawan Khera, who was a contender from Rajasthan. "Shayad meri tapasya mein kuch kami reh gayi (Maybe something fell short in my penance)," Pawan Khera tweeted without putting a lid on his disenchantment. As the tweet started gathering support on social media from other Congress workers and supporters, the party spokesperson added a clarification as he tweeted, “ Congress gave me my identity.”
Instead of fielding Pawan Khera, the party fielded Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari from Rajasthan. None of them belongs to Rajasthan. "The Congress party should tell what is the reason for not making any Congress leader/worker from Rajasthan, a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections?" Congress Sirohi MLA Sanyam Lodha tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}Instead of fielding Pawan Khera, the party fielded Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mukul Wasnik and Pramod Tiwari from Rajasthan. None of them belongs to Rajasthan. "The Congress party should tell what is the reason for not making any Congress leader/worker from Rajasthan, a candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections?" Congress Sirohi MLA Sanyam Lodha tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}Agreeing with Pawan Khera, actor-turned-Congress leader Nagma wrote she also feels the same as 'Imran bhai' (Imran Pratapgarhi) has been fielded from Maharashtra. Nagma added Sonia Gandhi has personally committed to accommodate in the Rajya Sabha in 2003-04 when she joined the pary “on her behest”. “Since then it’s been 18Yrs they dint find an opportunity. Mr Imran is accommodated in RS frm Maha. I ask am I less deserving,” she tweeted.
Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia joined the chorus as he tweeted, "Congress's Chintan Shivir took place in Rajasthan. Now look at another achievement of this thinking. Observe the quota of local candidates....without 'local' who will be 'vocal'..?"
"Would you tell us how many of these candidates are from OBC/SC/ST?" Gujarat Congress co-in-charge Jitendra Baghel tweeted.
Congress veterans like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma have also not been accommodated.
BJP's Amit Malviya too criticised Congress's choice of candidates from Rajasthan. "Congress couldn’t find a single capable person from Rajasthan to represent it in Rajya Sabha? Has Ashok Gehlot pawned Rajasthan’s interest to the Gandhis so that he can continue to remain the Chief Minister? This is an insult to the people of Rajasthan," Malviya tweeted.