Senior BJP leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Friday said that she feels she can retire now, and that her MP son Dushyant Singh had learnt the ropes. Addressing a rally in Jhalawar district, from where she is an MLA and is contesting again, soon after Dushyant had spoken, Raje said: “Mujhe lag raha hai ke ab mein retire ho ja sakti hoon (I feel I can retire now). After listening to the sansad saheb, I felt that you have taught him well – kuch pyaar sey, kuch aankh dikha ke (sometimes with love, other times with admonishment). You (the people) have set him on such a path that I will not have to get after him.” Raje went on to look back at her long innings in Jhalawar, first as a Jhalawar MP and then as an MLA from Jhalrapatan, the constituency she holds and is contesting from again. Her remarks come at a time when her future in the state BJP remains a matter of conjecture, with the central leadership that has been at odds with her resisting the demand to project her as the party's CM face. In her speech, Raje went on to praise the party district president and local MLAs. Currently, all four Assembly seats in Jhalawar – Dag, Jhalrapatan, Khanpur and Manohar Thana – are held by BJP MLAs. The former CM said that most candidates are tied down to their constituencies after filing their nomination. “But how fortunate are we that after filing nominations, there is no need (for me to campaign locally), and you just call me for a day or two,” Raje said, adding that this had been the case every time. She had shared the joys and sorrows and ups and downs with the people of the region, Raje said. “The biggest thing is that you never left my side,” she said, going on to mention momentous events from her life such as Dushyant’s wedding, her mother ‘Rajmata’ Vijaya Raje Scindia and brother Madhavrao Scindia's deaths, and the birth of her grandchildren. She also thanked the people for supporting her through the Covid pandemic, and the entire last five years. While the BJP may not be projecting her, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot continues to consistently attack Raje. On Friday, he challenged her to a debate on the Congress party’s seven guarantees. This came a day after Raje said: “Jiski khud ki warranty nahin hai, woh kahe ki guarantee hum logon ko dene ka kaam kar raha hai? Iske baare mein kabhi sochne ki zarurat hai (The one who doesn't have any warranty of his own, why is he trying to give guarantees to us? There is a need to think about it).” Gehlot has announced that if the Congress returns to power, it would guarantee Rs 10,000 annually to women heads of families; extend the subsidised cylinder scheme to 1.05 crore families; purchase cattle dung at Rs 2 per kg; provide English-medium education to every student; ensure laptop or tablet for first-year government college students; get legal backing for the Old Pension Scheme; and extend the Chiranjeevi Aapda Bima Guarantee with insurance up to Rs 15 lakh.
