Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s brief stay in New Delhi, where she attended the Niti Aayog meeting on Saturday, has raised many questions about her standing before the central leadership.
Raje left Jaipur in the morning and returned within six hours without meeting senior party leaders or Union ministers.
The chief minister’s office in Jaipur clarified that Raje was not expected to meet any party leader in the national capital.
“CM went to Delhi just to attend Niti Aayog meeting. After attending the meeting, she returned straight to Jaipur because she had no pre-scheduled programme to meet anyone,” said a release from the CMO.
But sources in the party said the party top brass is refraining from meeting her following the charges that she helped former IPL chief Lalit Modi by signing a document in his favour.
Modi is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate for financial irregularities.
Earlier, Raje used to stay for more than two days in Delhi. Sources said since senior BJP leaders did not lend her an ear, the CM considered it proper to fly back to Jaipur.
The central leadership might have given Raje the cold shoulder, but the Rajasthan BJP is rallying behind her, at least the statements by Rajasthan BJP president Ashok Parnami and health minister Rajendra Rathore suggest so.
{{/usCountry}}The central leadership might have given Raje the cold shoulder, but the Rajasthan BJP is rallying behind her, at least the statements by Rajasthan BJP president Ashok Parnami and health minister Rajendra Rathore suggest so.
{{/usCountry}}“The party is fully behind the chief minister. She was our leader, is our leader and will be our leader. There is no question of her replacement,” Rathore said.
Though the chief minister’s office is denying reports of show of strength, party leaders are constantly keeping a tab on ministers and MLAs to check their mood and inclinations towards Raje.
A senior party leader said there is no show of strength for now as the central leadership has not indicated any action in the matter.