Rajasthan LoP, BJP’s Mewar anchor: Why Gulab Chand Kataria was made Assam Governor

Kataria was part of a growing list of BJP leaders nursing chief ministerial ambitions. In one swift move, the party leadership has addressed the issue “honourably”.

Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, along with with BJP National General Secretary and in-charge of Rajasthan Arun Singh and former State CM Vasundhara Raje (Express)

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THE APPOINTMENT of Gulab Chand Kataria, senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, as the Assam Governor on Sunday effectively removes him from the race for the Chief Minister’s post, should the BJP return to power after the Assembly elections later this year.

The announcement came as a surprise in the state, especially since the Budget Session is on and the debate on Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s Budget is yet to begin. “I had no knowledge. The PM did indeed talk to me the day before on a (phone) call, enquiring how I am doing, but there was no talk beyond that… I got to know about it from the media. Honestly, I came out after offering prayers and your phone calls started coming…then I asked for the authorised letter,” Kataria told reporters.

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The 78-year-old is currently serving his eighth term as MLA in Rajasthan. While he is still very active inside the Assembly, his age could be the primary factor behind the decision.

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Second, there is a growing list of BJP leaders who nurse CM ambitions in Rajasthan, with Kataria being one of them. This has now been addressed “honourably”. With elections scheduled later this year, the BJP has taken its first step in setting its divided Rajasthan house in order.

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In 2012, nursing chief ministerial aspirations, Kataria had announced his 28-day Lok Jagran Yatra in the Mewar region. However, after Vasundhara Raje threatened to quit the party along with dozens of loyalist MLAs, Kataria called off his yatra.

Third, Kataria has his roots in the RSS, and has been associated with the BJP since its inception. From 1977 to 1980, he held positions in the Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of Janata Dal, including the state vice president. From 1980 onwards, he held positions in the BJP, eventually becoming the state party president in 1999.

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Kataria was quick to apologise. He told The Indian Express then that he “realises” that the word was “inappropriate”. Citing his addresses in the state Assembly, he said has a few “slips” when he is in the “flow”.

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Fourth, Kataria has vast experience in governance. He first became a minister in 1993, and has held several portfolios in BJP governments, including as state home minister when Raje was the chief minister. He has been elected as MLA eight times, during which he was Leader of Opposition three times; he was also elected as MP once.

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While Kataria is known to be plain-spoken and has a “clean” image, his speeches have landed him, and the party, in trouble sometimes. For instance, at a booth-level workers’ meeting in Churu in 2016, Kataria, then the Rajasthan home minister, used a derogatory word for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was, however, quick to apologise.

Following the announcement on Sunday, Raje, state BJP president Satish Poonia, and other party leaders arrived at Kataria’s residence to congratulate him.

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