BJP chief JP Nadda to arrive in Rajasthan today
BJP chief JP Nadda will arrive in Jaipur on Tuesday to address a state executive meeting, amid growing infighting in the party’s Rajasthan unit. BJP national general secretary and in charge for Rajasthan Arun Singh on Monday reviewed the preparations for the visit and held discussions with state president Satish Poonia and other office-bearers.
Nadda will on Tuesday address the meeting which will be attended by national office bearers from Rajasthan and state functionaries, including members of the state core committee, discipline committee, mayors and Zila pramukhs, state general secretary Bhajanlal Sharma.
The visit comes ahead of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s planned “dharmik yatra” next week, seen as an attempt to re-assert her influence in the state unit after maintaining a low profile since the BJP’s defeat in 2018 assembly polls.
The party has distanced itself from Raje’s ‘yatra’.
“It is a personal matter,” Deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said.
The Raje camp has been restive over the past few months with 20-odd MLAs expressing their resentment against the state leadership for allegedly not being allowed to raise public interest issues in the assembly.
Some of the leaders considered close to Raje have already raised a demand that she be declared the chief ministerial candidate for the next assembly elections.
Party leaders said that upcoming bypolls in four assembly seats, agitation against the Congress government in the state on various issues, and organisational matters were discussed in the meeting held today by Arun Singh.
“The party president will arrive tomorrow for which there is huge excitement among the party workers,” Singh said.
“A total of five sessions will be held in the state executive meeting. The inaugural session will be held at 11 AM and Nadda will leave at 2.15 PM. Before returning to Delhi the same day, he will visit a temple in Malviya Nagar,” Bhajanlal Sharma said.
State Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra took a jibe at the BJP, saying Nadda should unite the party unit so that it can effectively play the role of opposition.
“The BJP party is divided. Its national president should make the leaders united so that they can fulfil the responsibility of an effective opposition,” he told reporters.
(With PTI inputs)
