Vasundhara Raje, Rajasthan BJP Chief Hold Parallel Rallies. Party Dismisses Talk Of Infighting

As a show of strength, former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje held a rally in Churu and BJP state president Satish Poonia held an anti-government protest march in Jaipur over paper leaks.

File Photo of Former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and BJP Rajasthan Chief Satish Poonia.

New Delhi: With Assembly elections due in Rajasthan later this year, a rally by former chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Churu and an anti-government protest march in Jaipur by BJP state president Satish Poonia over paper leaks on Saturday were being seen as a show of strength by the two leaders of the opposition party.

Amid talk of a turf war between party leaders, BJP in charge for Rajasthan Arun Singh, however, told reporters that it was not uncommon to have multiple programmes in a day and asserted that there is no infighting in the BJP, as reported by the news agency PTI. “The BJP stands united. It is Congress that is disunited. The Congress leaders target each other,” he said.

Raje addressed a public rally in Churu after offering prayers at the famous Salasar Balaji temple and attacked the Congress dispensation. She highlighted the achievements of her government and called upon the people to vote for BJP. The supporters of Vasundhara Raje said that she has been holding programmes at religious places on her birthday - March 8 - but this year, Dhulandi (Holi) will be celebrated on that day due to which the birthday celebrations were held in advance.

Raje offered prayers at the Salasar Balaji temple with her son and Jhalawar-Baran MP Dushyant Singh and others. Speaking at the rally, Raje said, "I am walking as a soldier of the organisation under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and under the leadership of national president JP Nadda and taking you along," as quoted by PTI. "The lamp of Balaji's faith and the lamp of your blessings which I have lit cannot be extinguished by any storm... no matter how much attempts," Raje said.

She launched a scathing attack on the current Congress government in the state and said that the tussle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot has pushed the state backwards. Raje alleged that corruption and illegal mining had hit the state hard, PTI reported.

She also cornered the government over the law and order situation in the state. Posters wishing Raje on her birthday were seen outside the party office in Jaipur and at various places in the city. The posters had photos of PM Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda.

Several leaders of the party including former BJP state president Ashok Parnami, former ministers Rajpal Singh and Yunus Khan, Churu MP Rahul Kaswan, Jaipur MP Ramcharan Bohra, MLA Kalicharan Saraf, Deepti Maheshwari, Pratap Singh Singhvi, etc. were present in the programme, PTI reported.

BJP State President Satish Poonia Holds Anti-Government Protest Over Paper Leaks

BJP state president Satish Poonia, deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore and other leaders in the presence of Arun Singh led the protest march in Jaipur against repeated paper leak incidents.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha organised the protest march . Ahead of the march, the BJP leaders including Poonia and Arun Singh addressed the workers from the stage set up outside the party office. Arun Singh, Poonia, deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore and other leaders addressed the Yuva Akrosh Rally organised by the BJP's youth wing BJYM in Jaipur.

The party leaders targeted the Congress government on the issue of paper leaks and called upon the people to vote for BJP in the assembly elections. According to PTI, the protesters led by Poonia marched towards the chief minister Ashok Gehlot's residence but the police stopped them by putting up barricades. They moved to Sahkar Bhawan road following which the police used water cannons to disperse them.

Poonia alleged the Congress government was "resorting to oppression because it is afraid that the BJP is raising its voice against injustice to the youth and unemployed". He said the BJP will carry out protests in all district collectorates from March 15 to March 30.