Embattled Raje attends NITI Aayog, Jaitley to skip Beijing visit to resolve crisis

Congress asks PM to follow 'raj' and not 'Raje dharma'

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje attended a NITI Aayog meeting, along with six other chief ministers, here today. Raje, during her four hour long stay in New Delhi, didn’t meet either Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah.

There had been much speculation that Raje would skip the NITI Aayog meeting because of the controversy involving her son Dushyant Singh’s business deals with former Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi, as also her questionable support to the businessman’s plea to the UK Immigration authorities. But Raje, by attending the meeting, sought to convey that she was still the boss in Rajasthan, and that her party was supporting her. Raje, however, has already cancelled her weeklong visit to London that was to start today.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will skip the meeting of finance ministers of 57 countries in Beijing to approve setting up of US$100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. A PTI report quoted an unnamed Finance Ministry official who said that Jaitley will not be going to China. Jaitley, who met the PM and Shah, is leading the government’s efforts to resolve the crisis over Raje and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

As for Raje not meeting with other senior leaders in Delhi, her office issued a statement to claim that the CM was in Delhi to attend the NITI Aayog meeting and termed “untrue” reports that BJP leaders refused to meet her.

The Congress today said the PM should step down if he was finding himself “helpless” in securing resignations of Raje, Swaraj, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani and Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde. Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which projects itself as comprising patriots, was silent on the issue.

Congress spokesman Ajoy Kumar accused the PM of following “Raje dharma” and “not raj dharma” by protecting Raje and Swaraj.