BJP using silence to blunt Congress onslaught against Raje

Amid the stepped-up attack by the Congress on beleaguered Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP central leadership has asked its national leaders not to speak on the charges made against her by the opposition party.

The BJP thinking is that the allegations will die down if the media hype over Raje is not fed further with comments from senior party leaders.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has issued a gag order to the party spokespersons and central leaders while allowing only the state leadership to respond on this particular matter, party sources told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

"Since it is a matter purely linked to the Rajasthan BJP, there is no point for senior BJP leaders to get involved in this verbal duel," said a BJP source.

Stepping up the demand for Raje's resignation, the Congress on Monday alleged that she had "direct financial dealings" with former IPL chief Lalit Modi.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, at the forefront of making these allegations against Raje, alleged that Niyant Heritage Pvt. Ltd., a company owned by Raje, her son Dushyant Singh, daughter-in-law Niharika Singh and Lalit Modi had taken over a Rajasthan government property, converted it into a private high-end luxury hotel and invested over Rs.100 crore.

Most BJP national spokespersons contacted by IANS refrained from commenting on the issue.

The Rajasthan state unit, however, defended Raje. BJP state president Ashok Parnami and Rajasthan minister Rajendra Rathore addressed a press conference to deny the allegations.