No ‘outsiders’, says Rajasthan Cong

As The country gears up for the big fight in April, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee office is once again plagued with infighting. T...

As The country gears up for the big fight in April, the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee office is once again plagued with infighting. This time, Congress workers are together opposing the entry of any ‘‘outsider’’ in the state. Battle lines have been drawn and there is great opposition to a Lok Sabha ticket being given to leaders like Balram Jakhar, Buta Singh, Rama Pilot and Natwar Singh.

At the recently concluded three-day consultations at the Congress headquarters, central observers B.K. Hari Prasad, Rameshwar Neekhra and Rajubhai Parmar were categorically told that outsiders were not welcome in Rajasthan. Block and district level officials minced no words and objected to the fact that names of outside leaders were being considered for tickets.

‘‘But there is nothing wrong in that,’’ says state in-charge Mohsina Kidwai. ‘‘In a parliamentary election, the party can give anyone a ticket from anywhere,’’ she adds.

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But not everyone is buying that logic. The bottom line is that in Rajasthan, the Congress doesn’t want to accommodate Jakhar, Buta Singh or Rama Pilot anymore. All these leaders have been contesting from Rajasthan for two decades now. Jakhar and Singh shifted base to Rajasthan during the peak of militancy in Punjab and have not left since.

This time round, Jakhar is eyeing the Churu seat, a Jat-dominated belt. Having contested from Bikaner and Sikar in past elections, Jakhar is working on gaining the support of key Congress players in the Churu belt to overcome the unanimous opposition to his desires.

In Jalore, Singh is facing problems from his party workers. Looking for a second term from there, Singh is being accused by party workers of not contributing during the last Assembly elections. Congressmen who lost from Jalore district claim that Singh had a hand in their defeat.

Trying to find firmer ground, he is also said to be vying for the Sriganganagar seat, where again he faces protest. To counter him, Sriganganagar workers have suggested the name of central minister, Shailaja, from neighbouring Haryana.

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Also in the firing line is Rama Pilot, who is keen on contesting from Dausa. All the losing Congress MLAs from Dausa have ganged up against her. But to complicate things a little more, her name has been suggested by workers. It is also learnt that she is trying to get a ticket for her son Sachin Pilot.

Veteran Natwar Singh is also facing stiff resistance from the Bharatpur-Alwar belt, where he is trying to keep his stronghold. Singh is also trying to ensure that in case he is out of the race, his son Jagat is given a ticket. Jagat won the last Assembly election from the Lakshmangadh seat and Bharatpur is being readied for him.