No end to Vasundhara Raje’s troubles

Jaipur: All bad things happen in one go. Ask Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje who suddenly finds herself besieged by various problems just when things had begun to look better for her after a victory in the Dholpur by-election in May.

In addition to the on-going financial crunch, the latest addition to the chief minister’s troubles is the police clean chit given to six accused in Pehlu Khan’s mob lynching on April 1.

Apart from the failure to check mob lynching incidents, the inability to prosecute suspects named by the victim has come as an embarrassment for Ms Raje who had assured that the “guilty will be punished”.

The chief minister had been under attack for being allegedly soft on right wing Hindutva forces and the clean chit to Pehlu Khan’s suspected killers comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making friendly gestures to the minority community and openly lashing out at “Gau Rakshkas”.

The Opposition is likely to make the clean chit to the suspects an issue in the upcoming Assembly session as well as in the elections next year.

The development in the Pehlu Khan case coincides with appointment of RSS leader Chandrashekhar on the important post of general secretary (organisation) in state BJP. Mr Chandreshekhar has been handpicked by BJP president Amit Shah who was impressed with his work in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh

The post was vacant for the last eight years after an unceremonious exit of Prakash Chandra following a bitter war of words with Ms Raje during the dissection of the party’s performance in parliamentary elections in 2009. An angry RSS leadership later decided not to depute anyone as a successor to Prakash Chandra.

For the chief minister, who enjoyed a free hand for almost a decade, Mr Chandrashekhar’s appointment is being seen as a major setback and an attempt to clip her wings. Till now her word was final, both in government and party affairs.

The timing of Mr Chandrashekhar’s appointment is crucial as it comes ahead of Assembly elections next year as he is likely to have a say in  distribution of tickets.

“See this move in backdrop of the early announcement of CM faces in states going to polls. Barring Rajasthan, the announcement has been made in all states. One gets a hint of what Mr Shah is actually thinking about Rajasthan,” said a party leader.

Although, Mr Shah had praised Ms Raje’s good work he also had said that the party would be made invincible in four months.

A BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said Ms Shah’s statement indicated that the party’s current state was strong enough to win the next Assembly election.

The upcoming bypolls to Ajmer parliamentary seat and Mandalgarh Assembly constituency, due to death of the sitting representatives, will be a litmus test for Ms Raje.

Her loyalist state president Ashok Parnami has dubbed these by-elections as a semi-final ahead of the Assembly elections next year. A loss would wipe out all the gains from the BJP victory in Dholpur by-poll in April.

The Rajasthan government is also besieged with other challenges. A Rs 20,000 crore farm loan waiver has calmed agitating peasants but government employees are still continuing their agitation for implementation of the 7th pay commission at a time when the state is facing a financial crunch.

A drop in crude prices has pulled down the government’s royalty from oil fields in Barmer.

Ms Raje had promised during last elections to pull the state out of financial crisis but the situation has not changed. Things have come to such a pass that the government is contemplating selling land to pay dues to state roadways employees.

“Not just roadways but salaries are due in many other boards and corporations,” said Tej Singh Rathore, general secretary of All Rajasthan State Government Employees Federation,

A seasoned campaigner, Ms Raje is hoping to overcome the problems just in time to face the Assembly polls on a high. She is confident as she has fought off adverse situations many times in the past.