The BJP high command’s proposal to depute two women Union ministers, Uma Bharati and Vasundhara Raje, as state presidents to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively has run into rough weather. While the move to shift Uma has been dropped, the decision on Vasundhara has been kept on hold.After much dilly-dallying, Uma had conveyed to the high command that she did not want to go to the state. Vasundhara, on the other hand, had sought more time to ponder over the matter. Secure as ministers at the Centre, both had no inclination to opt for the rough and tumble of state politics coupled with an uncertain future, notwithstanding the high command indication that they would be projected as the leaders in the Assembly elections.The high command proposal had evoked a hostile reaction from state units as well. Most Madhya Pradesh leaders were up in arms against Uma. Even veteran leaders like former BJP president Kushabhau Thakre and vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal, who hailed from Madhya Pradesh, had expressed their reservations. They reportedly found her too temperamental to head the state unit.Vasundhara’s name was suggested by Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh. Though not on the best of terms with each other, the two favoured her because she suited them far more than any established state leader. There were good many of them at that, ranging from central treasurer Ramdas Agrawal to former state presidents Hari Shankar Bhabhra, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi, Raghuvir Singh Kaushal and Gulab Chand Kataria. Sources said Vasundhara had developed cold feet at the eleventh hour and had asked for more time to mull over the move.The curtain was drawn on the Madhya Pradesh scene today as Uma was given the more important Coal and Mines portfolio in place of Sports. It implied that she was not going to Madhya Pradesh. Along side, state BJP president Vikram Verma, a member of the Rajya Sabha, was inducted into the ministry. Sources disclosed that former chief minister Kailash Joshi was set to succeed him. A hardcore RSS loyalist, Joshi is a popular leader with a clean image, but is considered too gentle to mount an aggressive challenge to Chief Minister Digvijay Singh.
