The Hindu : National : BJP lacks vigour to put Govt. on the mat

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Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009
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BJP lacks vigour to put Govt. on the mat

Sunny Sebastian

JAIPUR: The ruling Congress is all set to face the Opposition with a new vigour when the Rajasthan Assembly begins its session on Tuesday.

In this first session after the scintillating victory for the Congress in Rajasthan in the Lok Sabha elections, the main Opposition, the despondent BJP, may spare its bite and confine it to token protests.

Though the BJP, considerable in numbers with 78 members in the 200-strong House, has enough issues against the Government which has completed more than six months in office leaving behind a harsh, waterless, powerless summer in the desert State, it may not do it because of the recent setbacks and also due to the serious divisions the defeats have led to in the State unit.

Both the State BJP chief Omprakash Mathur and former Chief Minister and now Leader of the Opposition Vasundhara Raje are just back in the State from abroad. Mr. Mathur, who submitted his resignation some time back to the party president Rajnath Singh owning up responsibility for the electoral reverses, indicated the other day that he would press for its acceptance.

However, he wanted others “who were equally responsible” to do the same. Obviously his target is Ms. Raje who is yet to respond to Mr. Mathur’s innuendoes.

Yet the BJP is putting on a brave front. The BJP Legislature Party, which met here on the eve of the Assembly session on Monday, got ready a set of issues with which the MLAs could confront the Government.

The development has come to a standstill since the Congress Government took over in the State.

All the big promises made to win the election were forgotten in the past seven months, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Deputy Leader of the BJP in the Assembly said.

This is also the first Assembly session after the Congress, which failed to get a clear majority in the polls, reinforced its government by adding the whole parliamentary group of six Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs to the party. Now with a clear majority, the Gehlot Government can breathe free from the pressures of Independent MLAs. Perhaps he can let go Golma Devi, Independent MLA and wife of former BJP Minister Kirorilal Meena, whose resignation is pending with Congress president Sonia Gandhi but he may not do that.

The status of Dr. Kirorilal Meena, who is also an Independent MLA, in the House is not clear after his taking oath as Member of Parliament. Dr. Meena’s resignation as MLA is yet to be accepted by Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat.

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