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Express News Service
JAIPUR: In Rajasthan, the Rajya Sabha elections are turning into a huge headache for CM Ashok Gehlot and the ruling Congress. Despite herding party MLAs and others supporting the Congress government to a luxury resort in Udaipur, the number of MLAs remains far less than what the Congress needs to ensure victory for all its three candidates.
In particular, five out of six ex-BSP MLAs who had joined the Congress in 2019 have laid down a set of demands that they want CM Gehlot to fulfill before voting for Rajya Sabha polls on June 10. The ex-BSP MLAs have even refused to go to Udaipur and are staying together in Sariska as a part of pressure building tactics. Meanwhile, the CM had to change his program to go to Udaipur today and his team of loyalists are trying to persuade unhappy MLAs not to switch sides.
Despite the strenuous efforts of the Gehlot camp, the displeasure of some Congress MLAs has also come to the fore ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections. Many MLAs are angry due to the non-fulfillment of promises and pending works. The Congress may claim the support of 126 MLAs but given the anger of MLAs worries in the Congress are increasing. Even after several efforts to persuade them, more than 10 MLAs are just not agreeing. Angry MLAs have kept their demand charter and given the rebellious attitudes of half a dozen MLAs, CM Gehlot is doing his best at damage control and postponed his program to go to Udaipur on Saturday.
With Assembly elections in the state only one and a half years away, angry MLAs are making their strategy under the leadership of Soldier Welfare Minister Rajendra Singh Gudha. The ex-BSP MLAs have become the ‘G-6’ Group which includes Sandeep Yadav, Lakhan Singh Meena, Wajib Ali, Girraj Singh Malinga and Khiladi Lal Bairwa. Five leaders of this group had gone on a safari in Sariska a day earlier and had refused to go to Udaipur till their long-pending demands are met.
After Minister Rajendra Gudha and MLA Wajib Ali, now MLA Girraj Singh Malinga and Khiladi Lal Bairwa have openly shown deep displeasure with the government and Congress. “I have got the reward of saving the government by having to face trial in a case. Why should we go to Udaipur? My reward for saving the government is to be wrongly sued despite my loyalty. Only God will do justice to me now as he judges everyone,” said Malinga.
MLA Girraj Singh Malinga’s shocking statement has come to the fore after a case was registered and he was jailed for assaulting a government employee. Girraj Singh Malinga claims that he was made by a leader of Mayawati, not the Congress party. Malinga said, “Congress has no contribution in making me a leader. BSP and sister Mayawatiji have made me a leader. We are not people who forget our favours.”
Similarly, the Chairman of the SC Commission and MLA from Bari, Khiladi Lal Bairwa said, “for a full year after the political crisis on the Gehlot government, no one asked what is your condition? The problem is that justice has not been done to us, the promises have not been fulfilled, and we are pained by it.”
Bairwa added, “it would have been nice if even one of the three candidates was from Rajasthan. Some people are unable to speak, but the tension is in everyone’s minds. We are not slaves, we are soldiers of the party. We should also be respected. Our freedom cannot be taken for granted like this.”
Khiladi Lal Bairwa’s comments are particularly surprising as this MLA from Bari is considered to be a supporter of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Meanwhile, Ved Prakash Solanki, an MLA from the Sachin Pilot camp, has also not reached Udaipur. Pilot himself has left for Delhi from Udaipur on Saturday.
At the same time, 6 MLAs including State President Govind Singh Dotasara left for Udaipur this morning. Leaders close to the CM are constantly in touch with the angry MLAs and are trying to do damage control. So far they are nowhere close to the success the party needs.
According to a senior BJP leader, apart from the BJP MLAs, a dozen other MLAs have been contacted, including independents and MLAs of other parties. Ashok Gehlot’s departure on Saturday was postponed and the Chief Minister may now go on Sunday to Udaipur where he will stay for a few days and handle the crisis management of the Rajya Sabha elections from there. The biggest task at the moment is to convince the disgruntled Congress MLAs.
The Congress has fielded three candidates for four Rajya Sabha seats and all three are choices of the party high command and not from Rajasthan. The first two Congress candidates Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Surjewala are sure of winning but Pramod Tiwari’s victory is in doubt as BJP has backed media baron Subhash Chandra as an independent. This has made the Rajya Sabha polls a tough test for Congress which has to save its 14 votes though Chandra needs to garner only 8 votes beyond those of the BJP for a win. The eyes of both parties are focused on independents and disgruntled MLAs who are being closely monitored by both sides.
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