Former Union Minister and Lok Sabha member from Jaipur (Rural) Rajyavardhan Rathore, now contesting Assembly polls in Rajasthan from the Jhotwara seat, says that the BJP’s success in getting many of its rebel candidates to stand down from the contest is the realisation that “discipline is recognised and rewarded in the BJP.”
A powerful rebel in Mr. Rathore’s own constituency, Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, considered close to former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, withdrew his nomination on Thursday, the last day afforded by the Election Commission to do so, reportedly after a call went through to him from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, assuring him of political accommodation in a post-poll scenario. Mr. Rathore’s earlier foray into the seat had not been easy with Mr. Shekhawat’s supporters showing him black flags, but the former Olympic silver medallist and army man patiently diffused that ticking time bomb, with help from the high command.
Speaking exclusively to The Hindu, Mr. Rathore said, “I totally understand that people have personal aspiration and plans. But when you are part of a party cadre, you have to go according to discipline.”
“Who knows, the denial of an opportunity now will open far bigger ones in the future as the BJP is known to recognise discipline and reward it as well, there are innumerable examples in our party,” he added.
He said the announcement of his name as a candidate from Jhotwara, was a surprise to him, but something that he has now taken to with relish. “I had no clue that I was being considered for the seat, but it is a big responsibility, as the local MLA is far more enmeshed with the executing agencies in the area, far more than a Lok Sabha MP. Therefore, I think that if I hadn’t been vested with the responsibility of fighting Assembly polls, a significant portion of my political education would have been incomplete,” he said.
Chief Ministerial candidate
Much of the talk around the BJP’s campaign has been about the lack of projection of a single face, namely that of Ms. Raje, as the chief ministerial candidate, but in Mr .Rathore’s view, “everyone is past that situation.”
“That was anyway something that was more alive in the media than anywhere else. The people of Rajasthan are past that, and are very much in tune with the collective leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi being offered by the BJP,” he said.
“Prime Minister Modi and the lotus symbol [BJP’s electoral symbol] is enough for the polls,” he added.
“The Ashok Gehlot government has stained its record with abysymal performance with regard to law and order, corruption by his MLAs and government, which lead to such situations as 19 instances of paper leak [leak of examination papers for various government jobs], which has also led to further unemployment,” he said. “Ashok Gehlot has, for the last five years, because of the internal cleavage within the Congress between him and Sachin Pilot, been on a purely survival mode, and allowed his MLAs to run amuck, in order to ensure their loyalty to him. The result is that Rajasthan has regressed on all points, especially law and order and crimes against women,” he said.
He said that there was massive anti-incumbency against Congress MLAs, whose tickets could not be cut as Mr. Gehlot had too many IoUs to fulfil, as these MLAs had helped him keep his position as Chief Minister. “Rajasthan will choose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development-oriented government,” he said.
