New Delhi: The case of former Rajasthan
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who is refusing to take the
post of national general secretary offered to her as she feels
it will lessen her hold on her state, has the BJP top brass
mulling over disciplinary action against her and her team.
The party is thinking of suspending some senior leaders
close to Raje to send her a message that she should fall in
line and work at the national level, BJP sources said.
Raje kept away from the National Executive and Council
meetings of the party in Indore though she sent some of her
emissaries to discuss her case with the BJP top brass. Her son
and BJP MP from Jhalawar Dushyant Singh was present.
Raje`s reported excuse that she had to attend to an old
relative was too flimsy a reason for the top leaders to accept
though publicly they were forced to give the same reason for
her absence.
Though Raje`s supporters from Rajasthan reportedly did
not get an audience with BJP President Nitin Gadkari, they did
convey to the top leadership that it was best if she continued
as Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly.
Gadkari had offered Raje the post of general secretary in
his team. However, now that Raje is expressing her reluctance,
Gadkari would be in an embarrassing position.
"Raje told the leadership that after losing the last
assembly elections in December 2008, she does not want to run
away to the Centre as that may affect her credibility and hold
over the state.
"She feels in Delhi she will just be one of the
several leaders," a senior leader said.
BJP Central leadership will have to take a call on the
issue at the earliest as the Assembly session begins in
Rajasthan and Raje`s resignation from post of Leader of
Opposition has still not been submitted to the Speaker.
Moreover, Gadkari is set to announce his team by
February-end and cannot wait endlessly for Raje to agree.
PTI
