Team Vasundhara Raje sparks another controversy, opens new office in Jaipur

By Archana Sharma
Jaipur, Aug 31 (IANS) Sparking yet another controversy, the supporters of former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje have opened an office to take the public friendly policies introduced by the former CM to the masses and to project her as the CM face in the 2023 elections.

The office-bearers of the new team confirmed that they aim to garner support within the party and outside to promote her as the CM candidate in the 2023 assembly polls.

Speaking to IANS, Rohit Mahawar, general secretary, SC Morcha who is acting as a senior team leader of the group, said, "We wanted an official address where we, the Raje followers, can sit and strategise for forthcoming programmes. It could be anything like taking out yatras or running campaigns on social media. But our aim is one, to popularise Raje as the CM face."

However, as veteran BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav during the Jan Ashirwaad Yatra taken out recently, had announced that the forthcoming polls will be contested under BJP state president Satish Poonia and the CM face will be decided by the parliamentary board, IANS questioned them about their future plans.

Mahawar, replying to the query, said, "Raje is our ideal leader and hence we are pitching for her. Rest what the high command says will be looked into at a later stage."

The invitation poster meanwhile carries the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Raje's mother Vijayaraje Scindia along with Raje's picture. Surprisingly there is no lotus picture in it.

The team's office in charge Ashok Sharma, speaking to IANS, introduced himself as a BJP worker. "I am serving BJP since last two decades," he said. However, BJP official sources dismissed the claim and said that the real BJP officials have maintained a distance from this new office and their campaigns.

State president SC Morcha Sandeep Verma, another member of the team, told IANS that Raje, in fact, has no connection with this group and they are doing it individually to promote her as the CM face.

Raje since months has been maintaining a distance from the party office. Ever since Poonia has taken over as state party president, she has cut down her visits to the party office.

Recently, her posters have also been removed from the state party head office.

In fact, she has been going solo even during the lockdown period when the party organised a "Seva hi Sangathan camp".

She organised a "Vasundhara Jan Rasoi" in the state to help the needy. Also, she was missing from the Jan Ashirwaad Yatra as well as from the campaigning for the bypolls held for three districts namely Rajsamand, Sahada and Sujangarh a few months back.