New Delhi: Days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s 70th birthday celebration marked the coming together of opposition on one platform, a similar event in distant Rajasthan today will likely be a show of strength by the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje is celebrating her 70th birthday a little early, on 4 March — it is actually on 8 March, but this year Holi also falls on that day — at Salaskar dham Balaji temple, a significant pilgrimage site of Hanuman in Churu district. On the same day, a dharna has been organised by the party youth wing in the state capital, Jaipur.
The choice of venue has raised eyebrows as it is the home district of Raje’s rival and party’s state chief Satish Poonia, and also of deputy leader of Opposition in the assembly, Rajendra Rathore. Rathore is elected from Churu’s Taranagar constituency and Poonia hails from Rajgarh village in the district.
The Raje camp has been planning the event for weeks and lakhs are expected to attend the bash which comprises a series of events. However, what could put a spanner in the celebrations is a BJP protest planned for the same day outside the assembly against the alleged paper leak.
The celebration is being seen as a show of strength to Raje’s detractors in the state unit and the BJP high command which hasn’t projected her as its chief ministerial candidate for the assembly elections later this year.
On its part, the Raje camp has called the Sunday event a ‘birthday celebration’ while the party is calling it a ‘private function’.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to strike a balance, the BJP has sent state in-charge Arun Singh who will participate in both the events.
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Public meeting, mass prayers
First of all, the selection of Churu as the venue is politically significant, as mentioned above. Raje has celebrated most of her birthdays at Tripura Sundari temple in Banswara and Baneshwar Dham in Dungarpur. This year, in Churu, she will address a public meeting after offering prayers at the temple.
Former ministers and MLAs have been working overtime to mobilise crowds for the meeting and make it a memorable show. Raje loyalists have divided the districts among themselves so they can mobilise large crowds for the event, party sources told ThePrint.
Kali Charan Saraf is handling Sikar, former BJP state president Ashok Parnami is managing Jhunjhunu district, Yunus Khan is looking after Nagore, and Churu MP Rahul Kaswan is handling the preparation in his district.
Likewise, former minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat is managing Jaipur, Kailash Chandra Meghwal is handling Bhilwara, and Pratap Singh Singhvi is mobilising people from Kota, and Bundi districts.
Folk artists have been called from Shekhawati in the state and Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, to play Holi after puja and hawan. A priest has also been called to lead a mass recitation of Hanuman Chalisa. Copies of Hanuman Chalisa will also be distributed.
Preparations have been going on for weeks and over a lakh people are expected to turn up. Raje supporters have been distributing cooked rice at bus stands in several districts to invite people for the event. Hoardings have also been put up at Salaskar and in front of the BJP office in Jaipur.
Kali Charan Saraf, former minister in Raje cabinet said to ThePrint, “There is no doubt that Vasundhara Raje is the biggest BJP leader in Rajasthan but this programme is not a political one. Every year, her supporters celebrate Vasundharaji’s birthday…but she is turning 70 this year, so it is special and people will assemble this year as well to celebrate.”
Yunus Khan told ThePrint, “Since Holi is falling on the same day this year, we are celebrating her birthday on 4 March. There will be a hawan and puja at the temple. After that, she will play Holi with her supporters and party workers assembled there. People from Vrindavan and Shekhawati will come to play Holi… there will be a mass recitation of Hanuman Chalisa. We will distribute 1 lakh copies of Hanuman Chalisa.”
Invites have been sent out to all MLAs and senior party leaders.
Clash of events
Meanwhile, the youth wing of the party has organised a dharna outside the assembly Sunday. The dharna against the paper leak issue has been organised by Poonia loyalist and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s state president Himanshu Sharma and is being seen as a ploy to dissuade leaders from attending Raje’s event.
Party sources told ThePrint that at a BJP legislators’ meeting last Tuesday, Poonia asked them to be present at the dharna in large numbers — subtly discouraging them from going to Raje’s celebration. However, several MLAs reportedly made it clear they were going to go to Salasar, they said.
A leader close to Vasundhara said to ThePrint, “Our programme was announced well in advance. The party dharna was announced later…it could have been scheduled on another date to show unity in the party but a few leaders want to ruin Vasundharaji’s birthday programme. They will not succeed.”
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Birthday or show of strength
A Raje loyalist said to ThePrint that the occasion may be that of a birthday but the political message should be clear — who is the real leader? One sent by the high command in Delhi or one who knows people’s pulse?
A Raje supporter MLA said to ThePrint, “Poonia has persistently been trying for three years to isolate Raje in the party. But ultimately, the party is looking at its performance in the state. The BJP lost six of seven bypolls held since 2018. Its recent Jan Akrosh Yatra, led by Poonia, also didn’t garner a big response. Just as they realised in Karnataka that former CM Yediyurappa has a better connect with the people than the current CM Basavaraj Bommai, the same, they will soon learn that they cannot win in Rajasthan without Raje’s active involvement.”
A former minister in Raje’s Cabinet said to ThePrint, “Now, only six months are left for assembly elections. While Poonia and Union minister from state, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, have suggested that the campaign be based on PM Modi, we are pressing for a bigger role for Raje. Without a clear signal — by letting her manage the campaign or appointing her the state unit chief — the electorate will be confused.”
He claimed that large sections of women have voted for Raje in 2013, when she won with a huge majority. “The party has to consider several factors…you cannot undermine Gehlot’s (CM Ashok Gehlot) capabilities. A collective leadership will not work against a strong opponent like him,” he said, adding, “even if people vote for Modiji, they still want a local leader as the party’s face.”
Another party MLA said, “Last year, more than 22 MLAs and former legislators attended Raje’s birthday celebrations. This being an election year, they’re all unsure about tickets so are pushing her to get back in the saddle.”
A state BJP vice-president close to the Poonia camp told ThePrint, “After experiencing severe infighting in the Rajasthan unit, the party high command is calling the shots. The PM and the home minister visit often.”
On the high command’s strategy for the state unit, he said, “The high command now wants a generational shift. It wants a leader who can steer the party in the state for at least a decade. Vasundhara Raje has been the chief minister twice.”
The party high command has tried to strike the caste balance as well, he said. “The party has inducted Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (a Rajput), Arjun Ram Meghwal, a Dalit, and Kailash Choudhary, a Jat, into the Union Cabinet. Then, both Poonia and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar are Jats. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla belongs to the Vaish community…but the party plans to fight the election in Modi’s name.”
Notwithstanding the political messaging, of either the celebration or the protest, state unit general secretary Bhajanlal Sharma told ThePrint, “The party has planned a big protest and workers have been told to assemble for it. But if anyone wants to go and wish Vasundharaji, he can do so. It’s her private function.”
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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