In a move that is being seen as a consolidation of dissidents within the Rajasthan BJP, the party’s rebel leaders on Wednesday met at Jasol, the ancestral village of senior leader Jaswant Singh in Barmer district. Though they said they were there to attend an informal lunch by Jaswant Singh, sources said in fact a strategy—to be adopted against Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and state unit chief Mahesh Chandra Sharma—was discussed.

The rebels have been demanding a change in the party leadership for almost a year now and were disappointed when Sharma was re-elected as the state president in February. Alleging that Sharma is a staunch Raje supporter, the rebels made representations to the party high command against him last week.

Not happy with verbal assurances given to them, the rebels have now decided to launch an agitation against Raje and Sharma. Ironically, however, none from the rebel group, which include state ministers like Gulabchand Kataria, Madan Dilawar, Narpatsingh Rajvi, Ghanshyam Tiwari, Chief Whip Mahaveer Prasad Jain and others, is ready to take over as the state president.

The Wednesday meeting reportedly was to convince Home Minister Kataria to take over from Sharma. But Kataria himself stayed away from the lunch, compelling the rebels to continue with their ‘wait and watch’ policy.

Before attending the lunch, Education Minister Tiwari, Minister for Social Justice Dilawar, Industry Ministry Rajvi and others had a long closed-door meeting at the Jodhpur Circuit House but none of them was ready to divulge any details. “We are here only because Jaswant Singh has invited us for an informal lunch. There is no question of discussing any party matter as we are quite satisfied with both the Chief Minister and the party leadership,” said Dilawar.

... contd.