Raje softens, says ready to serve party without any post

After a long standoff with the BJP leadership, Vasundhra Raje today gave clear indications that she may step down as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan as directed by party president Rajnath Singh, saying she was committed to serve the party "with a post or without it".

After a long standoff with the BJP leadership, Vasundhra Raje on Friday gave clear indications that she may step down as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan as directed by party president Rajnath Singh, saying she was committed to serve the party "with a post or without it".

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Raje, who has been summoned to Delhi on August 31 by the BJP high command, said she was a "disciplined soldier" of the party and its order was "supreme" to her.

"I am committed to serve the party with a post or without it," she said in a statement.

After having adopted a defiant posture, she told reporters "when there is a problem of any sort within a family, it is only natural that you would sit down and talk it out".

Raje will meet Naidu on Monday to discuss the future course of action. The party high command had given her time till August 30 to put in her papers.

The former Chief Minister, who held a show of strength of BJP MLAs on Wednesday attended by 70 of the 78 legislators, said she would like to go for talks as quickly as possible to sort out these problems.

Holding Raje responsible for the party's poor performance in the state assembly elections and the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had earlier this month asked her to step down as Leader of Opposition.