Setback for Raje camp as central leadership clips its wings

The story started with the removal of her posters during by-poll campaigning in three states; then her posters were removed from the state party headquarters. Recently, a former minister from her camp, Rohitashv Sharma, was issued a show-cause notice for speaking against the party's working. He has been warned to reply within 15 days or else disciplinary proceedings will be initiated against him. 

Raje, for months, has been maintaining a distance from the party headquarters after the elevation of Satish Poonia, a RSS man, as the BJP state president. 

Since then, the party workers from her camp were speaking against the party and were running a parallel unit to the state BJP organisation. 

Recently, this camp claimed that "Raje is BJP and BJP is Raje" in Rajasthan. 

The statement did not go down well with the party leaders of the state and then started a two-way war. 

Poonia and Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria hit back saying no leader is higher than the party and party discipline comes first.' 

However, Raje's followers did not stop and continued firing fresh salvos due to which central leaders had to rush to Jaipur to intervene. 

State party in-charge Arun Singh came to Jaipur and openly warned the rebel leaders to follow party discipline or be prepared to face the music. 

"The party leaders should stay in discipline and should think twice before issuing a statement whether it will help the party to rise or dent its prospects," he said adding, "All party workers should follow constitutional norms of the party and stay in discipline or else disciplinary proceedings will be taken against them." 

Soon after this warning, the state party leadership issued a show-cause notice to senior BJP leader Rohitashv Sharma from the Raje camp. 

Sharma, in a meeting held in Alwar, had told the media that the BJP workers are not working on the ground but are limited to their offices due to which it lost two by-polls. 

However, Poonia countered his claim and said, "600 workers of BJP lost their lives working on ground during Covid pandemic. Such statements show disrespect to those workers who sacrificed their lives on the ground." 

Meanwhile Sharma did not seem to be following the party discipline and claimed that Raje remains his leader and the party is his mother and no one can separate a son from his mother. 

I will fight my battle in Delhi and shall stage a hunger strike, he added. 

So, there seems to be no let-up in the war but the party has warned again that more action will be taken against those violating the party line. 

Lord Krishna pardoned 99 mistakes of Shishupal but his 100th mistake was not forgiven, so the 100th mistake will not be forgiven here too, he added, with reference to the Mahabharata in the ongoing war of the saffron party in the desert state. 

Meanwhile, what has raised eyebrows in the state is Arun Singh's statement that the parliamentary board will take a decision on the CM face. 

Raje's followers, since months, have been demanding and in fact declaring her as the CM face for the 2023 elections on social media. 

However, party workers told IANS, "Raje and her followers are more like white elephants who are not contributing anything but are denting party prospects so disciplinary proceedings are a must against them." 

What is Raje contributing to the party as national BJP vice-president, they asked adding, "It's a surprise that the party has left her free from rendering her duties. In such cases, senior leaders like her should introspect and start taking initiatives to ensure they continue marking their presence. Those who don't do it, go into oblivion, that's the the rule of politics," they said.