The Rajasthan BJP is facing its own set of turmoil, with former Minister Rohitash Sharma speaking out against the State leadership, accusing it of “running the party from within office rooms” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The party served a show-cause notice on him for indiscipline but the incident has drawn attention to the fact that the cleavage in the party between the factions that owe loyalty and those who oppose former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje continues to exist and flare up.
Raje strong still
Ms. Raje, a leader who headed two governments, continues to remain strong within the party with much support while the national leadership has remained wary of her power. Attempts to place Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as the State president came a cropper a couple of years ago when she stood her ground.
During the pandemic too, her team ran relief operations, including medicines and free meals, via the “Vasundhara Jan Rasoi”, which was separate from the BJP-led “Sewa Hi Sanghthan” programmes. Ms. Raje’s photographs were said to have been removed from party posters, annoying her supporters and provide some of the background for Mr. Sharma’s words and public interviews to the media.
‘Inner party democracy’
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr Sharma said, “Rajasthan is represented by several leaders at the Centre but in my district alone, I found it difficult to coordinate relief. I spoke about that, and rather than acknowledging that there is something called inner party democracy, I was slapped with a show-cause notice for ‘indiscipline’.”
When asked about him speaking on behalf of a particular faction, his remarks were even more interesting. “Not everyone in a leadership position can become a leader. Vasundhara ji is a leader who brought the BJP to power first with 120 seats and the second time with 163 seats, surpassing the record of Shekhawat ji [former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat]. When we already have a powerful leader, we should put her forward,” he said.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is our face at the Centre, but in States, people want to see good local leadership and faces. The BJP’s situation in West Bengal was because of this lack of a local face, and the same is in Haryana,” he noted. He added that he would be mulling over the show-cause notice and may reply soon. He has been given 15 days from June 25 (when the notice was first sent) to reply.
‘Remarks not true’
BJP state chief Satish Poonia, on his part, said Mr. Sharma was sent the notice for airing out grievances in forums other than those provided by the party. “His remarks on relief work are not true. More than 600 of our ‘karyakartas’ have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the course of serving the public. There are inner party forums for his complaints, and his citing internal democracy for giving media interviews on party affairs is him being disingenuous,” he observed.
The leadership question aside, Mr. Sharma owed the party an explanation for his remarks and why he felt he should go public with them, he stated.
National general secretary of the BJP in charge of Rajasthan Arun Singh said publicly that out of turn statements would not be tolerated.
As factionalism brews, both the Congress and the BJP in the State can only take solace from the fact that both suffer from a similar malaise.
