Rajendra Gudha alleges that the Rajasthan government is punishing him for speaking the truth. Rajendra Gudha is a Civil Defense minister in the Ashok Gehlot government and an ex-BSP MLA.

Gudha criticized the government for its rising violence against women, citing atrocities as a major concern. In the Vidhan Sabha, Rajendra Gudha stated, “The state government should introspect on its failure to provide security to women in Rajasthan instead of raising the issue of Manipur violence.” The Gehlot government sacked him within hours for going against the party line. Ms. Amrita Dhawan, the State Congress co-interchange, stated in the active voice, “Rajendra Gudha should have been sacked earlier as Rajasthan minister.”

Is the minister’s rebellion linked to the dissatisfaction brewing within the state Congress.

Rajendra Gudha is supposedly and visibly very close to Sachin Pilot for the past one year. Last year in November, he retweeted, ‘if 80% MLAs of Rajasthan aren’t in favour of making Sachin Pilot the CM’ and this is not one off incident. Off and on he has been making comments in favour of Sachin Pilot  and against the Gehlot Government. This was not the  first occasion when he attacked the current CM. During a press meet on Sunday 23rd July he said ‘if i had not snuck the Red Diary, CM would be in prison’. Since coming to power in 2018, he has fired some salvos at the Gehlot Government. The link to dissatisfaction amongst the Sachin Pilot group is now on a belligerent front, and Gudha is a perceived Pilot supporter. In another development, authorities called Congress MLA from Osian, Divya Maderna, to provide an explanation. Though the State Congress leadership doesn’t want to ruffle more feathers, they let her off with a warning. Divya Maderna,recently in a press interaction, said, ”even I am not safe in Rajasthan.”

The BJP has got good ammunition to claim the top position in Rajasthan elections. Is the party ready?

Since the beginning of July, BJP is attacking the Gehlot Government with renewed energy. Their series of protest with the slogan, ‘nahi sahega Rajasthan’, specifically atrocities against women is a key start. The start to campaign against violence against women, UPSC paper leak case and rising crime graph gave BJP a fresh impetus in their efforts. Rajendra Singh Gudha’s resignation provided fresh ammunition to the BJP in this sequence. In statement today, Jal Shakti minister Rajendra Shekhawat expressed concern over rising crime in Rajasthan. In another rapid fire,  Rajendra Rathore the  leader of Opposition, alleged that the Rajasthan Government, fooled public with lies in the 2018 elections. Thus right now BJP seems to be having an upperhand in the runup to elections.

The heat in political arena in Rajasthan is steaming up though in the monsoon season. The ‘jajam’ (rug) is being spread for a fierce battle between the two warring parties: BJP and the ruling Congress. Daily new twists and turns are happening in the Rajasthan political drama. Congress which looked having an upperhand till June, is right now on the back foot. The prevailing allegations of corruption and violence, especially those involving women, are significantly impacting the odds against the Congress party. On the other hand, the BJP has exhibited renewed vigor after a prolonged period of relative inactivity, actively mobilized forces in preparation for the forthcoming Assembly polls. The coming days and the run-up to the polls are certain to see some sizzling news and political alliances in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan Politics Reshaped: Takeaways From Sachin Pilot’s Dausa Rally