From being at the frontline of the BJP’s offensive against the Ashok Gehlot government to being accused of playing a key role in the alleged conspiracy to dislodge the Congress dispensation, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has come to the fore as the central figure in Rajasthan’s political space.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the member of Parliament from Jodhpur, during a media address on Friday of being caught on tape conspiring with rebel Congress legislators to bring down the Gehlot government.
Shekhawat, the Union water minister, has denied the charge and sought a probe against, asserting that it was not his voice on the tapes.
The 52-year-old’s presence as the key player in the political events unfolding in Rajasthan is being read as an indication of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s high command’s decision to give new leadership a chance to make its presence felt in the state.
Lending weight to this perception is the comparison being drawn between Shekhawat’s all-out offensive and the telling silence of former chief minister and BJP heavyweight Vasundhara Raje.
The former chief minister has been conspicuous by her silence on the political controversy that has erupted in the state.
A BJP functionary speaking on the condition of anonymity said the process of cultivating a new and younger set of leaders has already been set in motion and Shekhawat’s “prominence” in the state’s politics is in line with the party’s decision to encourage younger leaders.
“There are leaders who have had several terms in positions of authority and it is only natural that a newer line of leaders is allowed to take the place going forward. But it does not mean that the senior leaders are being dispensed with. Otherwise, a Shivraj Singh Chouhan would not have been given a fourth term as CM,” the functionary cited above said.
Raje’s silence notwithstanding, her clout in the state has been crucial to the party’s fate at the hustings. It was Raje’s support base that helped her have her way in deciding the party’s state unit president, even as the central leadership had preferred Shekhawat.
However, there have been questions whether the tape controversy put a dent in the minister’s graph that seemed to be on the incline.
A party colleague, who did not want to be named, said allegations and counter-allegations are part of the political process and Shekhawat has created a space for himself in the state as well as at the national level.
“He was picked to head a ministry that has some critical work cut out for it, considering how water for all is a priority of the central government. He is also well versed in the RSS ideology and with the guidance of the central leadership, we will overcome the challenges,” the second functionary said.
Rajasthan-based political commentator Narayan Bareth said the BJP leadership has been trying to infuse fresh blood in the state’s political unit and Shekhawat fits the bill.
“He is an ideal candidate, he has roots in the RSS and is courteous to senior leadership and his caste also works in his favour,” Bareth said.
