BJP Will Be Miserable If It Neglects Her: In Rajasthan BJP Tussle, Raje Gets Support From Senior State Congress Leader

Congress MLA and Industry minister of Rajasthan, Parsadi Lal Meena, has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is zero without former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. He added that if BJP in Rajasthan neglects Raje, it will become miserable.

He has added that just the way the Congress is incomplete without Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan, the BJP is incomplete without Raje.

He has said that the two leaders are popular among people and their popularity cannot be miscalculated as going up or down on the basis of anyone's views.

Meena is one of the significant leaders in Rajasthan and is considered influential among leaders who represent his community.

When asked about other leaders in the Congress, such as Sachin Pilot, Meena seemed to deflate the perception that Pilot would have the same impact as the two senior leaders from Congress and BJP.

He referred to the "counters" put up in the past by parties, which have not been able to withstand the popularity of certain leaders.

He gave a mention to tickets being distributed in Rajasthan as per the suggestions of Kirodi Lal (Meena), and reiterated that it is the people who decide (the popularity of leaders).

This statement is understood to be a direct attack on Rajya Sabha MP and Bharataiya Janata Party leader Kirodi Lal Meena by a section of the media.

Kirodi Lal Meena (then in National People’s Party) was defeated by BJP’s Diya Kumari (currently Lok Sabha MP from Rajsamand) in 2013 in Sawai Madhopur — her maiden election.

In 2018, Diya Kumari was denied a ticket to fight from Sawai Madhopur due to the influence of Kirodi Lal Meena after he returned to the BJP.

This statement from Parsadi Lal Meena has been largely ignored by the state media. Yet, it seems to have political significance in the state, where other leaders from Congress and BJP are looking at making a bigger impact in intra party politics as well as state politics.

Rajasthan is witnessing efforts from leaders such as Hanuman Prasad Beniwal, who leads the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (which recently left NDA), to rise in state politics.