Seeking an early end to the poster controversy, the central BJP leadership has asked Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje to denounce it. To which Raje has said that she would do so but the FIR filed by senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s wife should also be withdrawn.
“There’s no room for worshipping individuals within the party and the party disowns any such efforts,” says BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
A top BJP functionary told Raje that the poster had raised the hackles of her opponent and that she should not delay condemning it. The central BJP wants the controversy to be capped before a party conclave in Jaipur from June 15- 17, where plans are to be drawn for the assembly polls due next year.
Raje’s grouse is that why did Sheetal Kanwar file an FIR against the publisher of the poster, and the MLA who released it. “What was the need to file an FIR on this issue,” Raje is understood have told the functionary.
Central BJP leaders agree that it is no secret that Jaswant Singh and Raje do not get along and the latest episode only underscores the tension between them.
{{/usCountry}}Central BJP leaders agree that it is no secret that Jaswant Singh and Raje do not get along and the latest episode only underscores the tension between them.
{{/usCountry}}Raje is no mood to patch up with Jaswant Singh as he does not command a big faction within the state, BJP leaders say.
On his part, Jaswant Singh is upset over the slow rehabilitation process of flood victims in Barmer. His son Manavendra Singh is an MP from Barmer.
When asked about his reaction to the FIR, Jaswant Singh merely said, “My wife is a free citizen she takes her own decisions, please go and ask her.”
siyer@hindustantimes.com