Rajasthan polls | Ashok Gehlot’s soft spot for Vasundhara Raje: Politics or camaraderie?

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s recent remark that his predecessor Vasundhara Raje Scindia should not be punished because of him has once again left many wondering whether Gehlot’s repeated defence of Raje is sheer politics or camaraderie.

Responding to media queries regarding the “sidelining” of Vasundhara Raje in the BJP, Gehlot told reporters the other day that it was an internal matter of the BJP and he would not like to comment on it. “But I would like to state that she should not be punished because of me... This would be an injustice to her,” he said, implying that the BJP’s former chief minister is above her party’s tactics to dislodge Opposition governments.

In May this year, Gehlot claimed that Vasundhara Raje and two other BJP leaders had helped save his government during the revolt by Sachin Pilot and his loyalists in 2020. Addressing an event in Dholpur, Gehlot said, “My government was saved because of the support of three BJP leaders -- former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, former assembly speaker Kailash Meghwal and MLA Shobharani Kushwah.”

“(Union ministers) Amit Shah, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Dharmendra Pradhan conspired together to topple my government. They distributed money in Rajasthan and they are not taking the money back now. I am surprised why they are not demanding the money back from them (the MLAs),” he claimed.

‘Not a sign of goodwill’

However, his claim drew a caustic remark from Raje who said the veteran leader’s comment was “not a sign of goodwill but malice”. “Ashok Gehlot has never got a majority since 2003. That’s why he considers me his biggest enemy and a thorn in his path. That’s why there is no goodwill for me in his praise, there is only malice,” Raje had said. “Gehlot praising me is a big conspiracy. No one can insult me as much as Gehlot did in his life,” she added.

When the Pilot’s rebellion against the Gehlot government failed in 2020 there were reports that one of the key reasons behind it was Vasundhara Raje’s refusal to work with Pilot in Rajasthan. Without her support, the BJP could not have moved forward in Rajasthan.

Before Vasundhara Raje virtually stonewalled Pilot’s entry into the BJP, some of the party leaders took a jibe at the former Rajasthan chief minister, claiming that she was helping incumbent Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot save his government. Some others went on to even suggest in a hushed tone that Gehlot made his move against Pilot only after having “received assurance” from Vasundhara Raje that the rebel Congress leader would not find an easy entry into the BJP.

The political circles in Rajasthan have time and again been abuzz with talks of Gehlot-Raje understanding. The appointment of a certain police officer, who is considered close to Raje, as the chief of the Special Operation Group (SOG) in the Rajasthan Police was cited as “proof” of it.

It was this SOG that served summons to Pilot after having procured “evidence” in audio tapes of an alleged conspiracy case to topple the Gehlot government. Summons were served on Gehlot as well but the Pilot camp dismissed it as a façade, contending the chief minister is also the home minister.

While some BJP leaders targeted Vasundhara Raje, only a couple of party MLAs spoke in favour of the two-time former chief minister. Nevertheless, she continues to dominate the state BJP. This explains why she has been able to “resist” the central BJP leadership which is said to be in favour of executing Operation Kamal in Rajasthan.

Interestingly, a cropped photo of the two leaders seated together was widely circulated online last month, reviving their partymen’s allegation that they were going soft on each other. However, Raje’s office finally released the complete photo, which showed two other leaders.

Pilot’s salvo at Gehlot

The speculations regarding a connivance between Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje had also given ammunition to the chief minister’s archrival Sachin Pilot to attack him in the past.

It was only a few months back that Pilot had been on a warpath against his own party’s government and, in particular, the chief minister. He had even observed a day-long hunger strike on April 11 against the Congress government’s ‘inaction’ in cases of alleged corruption against the previous BJP regime. “Our government should take action or else people will think there is a collusion (between Gehlot and Raje),” he had said on April 9.

After Gehlot’s revelation that Raje had played a crucial role in saving his government at the time of Pilot’s rebellion against the party, the former Rajasthan Congress chief had taken a swipe at Gehlot, alleging that not Sonia Gandhi but Vasundhara Raje Scindia was the chief minister's real leader. He went on to allege that it was the primary reason why Gehlot was not taking any action on corruption charges.

“After listening to Ashok Gehlot's speech in Dholpur, it seems like his leader is not Sonia Gandhi but Vasundhara Raje Scindia. I have now understood why the CM (Ashok Gehlot) has not acted against corruption,” Pilot had told reporters. He further stated: “For the first time, I am seeing someone criticise MPs and MLAs of their own party. Praising leaders from BJP and dishonouring Congress leaders is beyond my understanding, this is absolutely wrong.”

Gehlot and Pilot have been at loggerheads over the post of chief minister ever since the Congress formed the government in Rajasthan in December 2018. In July 2020, Pilot and a section of party MLAs who supported him declared an open rebellion, demanding a change of leadership in Rajasthan. It led to a one-month-long political crisis that ended after assurance by the party high command to look into the issues raised by Pilot.

Clout nearing end

The nearly two-decade-long dominance of Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan BJP is virtually nearing its end in the poll-bound state as the party has initiated a generational change in leadership.

Taking the first step in the direction of leadership change, the BJP has not nominated any leader as the chief ministerial candidate in the election and has instead chosen to contest under the collective leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To make matters worse for Vasundhara Raje, she has not been made part of the campaign committee and manifesto committee of the BJP in Rajasthan.

The BJP’s central leadership has also asked former Union ministers, MPs and senior leaders in Rajasthan to contest the assembly elections this time. As many as seven MPs have been asked to contest the assembly polls in the first list of candidates, and the number is expected to increase as the BJP comes out with more names for the elections.

Ahead of the polls, there are speculations that the BJP’s central leadership wants to make Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Ram Meghwal contest the assembly polls, but the final decision will be taken at the time of ticket distribution.

(With inputs from Gyan Verma)