By IANS,
New Delhi : The drama over former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje’s removal from the opposition leader’s post in the state assembly may end Saturday as she is expected to meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh and senior leader L.K. Advani.
“Whether she will be able to meet Rajnathji is not clear as yet. But most likely she will meet Advaniji. However, no one knows as yet whether she will resign or not,” a senior BJP leader told IANS.
“The party is very clear on the issue of indiscipline and everyone has already seen its result,” the leader added, referring to the expulsion of Jaswant Singh this week.
Rajnath Singh had last week asked Raje to resign from the post of leader of opposition in the Rajasthan assembly after the party’s debacle in the April-May Lok Sabha elections and the state assembly polls late last year.
However, Raje refused to step down, stating that she alone could not be held responsible for the party’s poll debacle in the state.
After a parliamentary board meeting Sunday, the BJP president said that he was confident Raje would toe the party line and quit. But he did not set any deadline for her to step down.
The BJP’s Rajasthan unit had Tuesday suspended two party legislators — Rajender Singh Rathore and Gyan Dev Ahuja — on disciplinary grounds for supporting Raje.
“She may take up the issue of their suspension also. She currently enjoys support of over 60 BJP legislators in the Rajasthan Assembly,” sources said.
In a show of strength a few days ago, Raje drafted over 50 legislators to visit New Delhi to meet Advani and Rajnath Singh. However, Advani refused to meet them.
The BJP’s tally of 21 seats from Rajasthan in the 2004 elections came crashing down to four in the April-May Lok Sabha elections, while it lost power in the assembly elections late last year, paving the way for the Congress’s return.