Raje, party leadership compromise on Rajasthan

Will quit a little later and compensated in Delhi.

The crisis faced by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan seemed to have blown over today, with both senior party leaders in Delhi and Vasundhara Raje in the state relenting on their respective hardline positions on the issue of the latter’s quitting as head of the party in the state assembly.

The compromise, it appeared, was that Raje would be allowed to take a month in resigning from Jaipur and her being given an appropriately senior position in Delhi.

Her rebellion against the party leadership’s decision appeared to have fizzled a few hours before the BJP’s senior leaders were to hold a meeting of the party’s Parliamentary Board on the issue. 

While Raje had tried to browbeat the central leaders by sending a large contingent of MLAs supporting her to stage a show of strength, rumours were also floated that she could start a separate party. However, the party gave enough hints that it meant business and would not tolerate disobedience.

Probably taking the cue, Raje said in Jaipur that she “considers the BJP like my mother” and she would “go by the party’s orders, come what may”. It helped sooth frayed nerves in Delhi, as the party leaders led by Rajnath Singh, president, and L K Advani, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, were about to start a discussion on the Rajasthan crisis.

Singh told media persons that as Vasundhara Raje had made positive statements in Jaipur, the Parliamentary 

Board had decided against taking any action against her. Nor had the party not given any ultimatum for her to tender her resignation. “I had conveyed the decision to Vasundharaji that the party wants her to quit,” Singh said, for the first time. He said the decision to replace her was taken by the party’s core group and not by him, as was being alleged by some.

According to sources, while the BJP was firm on Raje’s resignation, it had decided to accept the twin conditions placed by the former chief minister for doing so. Raje wanted a month’s time for resigning and had also asked for a suitable position in Delhi. 

Raje was asked to resign in view of the BJP’s downfall in the state. After having led the party to its dramatic victory in the state in 2003, she is now being squarely blamed for the party’s losing two elections in a row this year.