Kirodi Lal Meena, a tribal leader and veteran in state politics, submitted his resignation in June 2025, but the CM has not accepted it. After Meena alleged his phone was tapped, BJP Rajasthan chief Madan Rathore issued him a show cause notice for ‘indiscipline’, with Meena, at the time, telling ThePrint that he gave his response.
However, he continues to raise issues related to the functioning of the administration. After lying low for a few days, Meena again called for the government to cancel the sub-inspector (SI) recruitment exam on 17 March, a demand he has been raising. In Alwar, taking stock of land encroachments, illegal occupation by builders and pending cases, the Alwar minister in-charge highlighted how the exam could give rise to an issue of ‘fake police’. He was hearing complaints about police atrocities.
A letter to the CM from BJP MLA Khinwsar, Rewant Ram Danga, on administrative transfers also went viral earlier this month. Then, many within the BJP pointed out that several MLAs were upset over the way the bureaucracy ran the government. The letter, written in January, surfaced in March, with many using it to take potshots at the government.
Speaking to ThePrint, Om Saini, a political analyst, said the problem stemmed from the CM’s inability to take all leaders along with him.
“Vasundhara Raje was a successful CM, and one of the reasons behind this was that despite differences, she could take everyone along, whether during elections or while governing. Sharma has been the ‘parchi waala CM’ and, till today, it is his identity,” said Saini.
‘Justice will be done’
On 1 October 2024, the Rajasthan government formed a six-member ministerial committee to examine the extent of the paper leak in the 2021 SI recruitment exam to ascertain whether the exam should be cancelled, as demanded by Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena.
Meena has been quite vocal about cancelling the exam, pointing out on several occasions that agencies such as the Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, the police headquarters, the advocate general, and a cabinet sub-committee have all recommended the same.
“If such exams do not stand cancelled, the police stations will have fake SHOs in large numbers. What will be the status of law and order in such a scenario?” he asked.
Meena, known to have issues with a few BJP leaders, has been raising the exam cancellation demand, but what has raised eyebrows is that despite getting a notice, he has not stopped. He initially raised the demand for exam cancellation when the Congress government was in power.
The Bhajan Lal Sharma government informed the high court that the 2021 SI recruitment exam, mired by paper leak allegations and irregularities, would not be cancelled in haste.
According to political analyst Saini, the party can not act against rebel leaders such as Meena because they come with a community vote bank. The party, he said, can not afford to anger the voters.
“Meena is probably the only leader who spoke out against Raje. For him, the welfare of his community comes first, and he knows he enjoys massive support from the Meena or tribal vote bank. For the party, there is no alternative. It can not afford to anger the tribal vote bank. He will continue to speak his mind but with certain limitations,” added Saini.
Speaking to the reporters in Alwar, Meena said he would try to get the SI recruitment exam paper cancelled at any cost.
He said: “We will not let these issues die. Justice will be done. I am in pain … Despite the demand, the paper has not been cancelled. But I will always fight over such issues. Whether it is corruption or paper leak, I raise these matters, and I will not let them die.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Dr Pratap Singh, another political analyst, said that one of the reasons behind the “crisis” unfolding in Rajasthan was the lack of coordination between the party organisation and the government.
“Bureaucracy haawi ho rahi hai, sangathan aur government mai taal mail nahi hai. (the bureaucracy is calling the shots, and there is no coordination between the state BJP unit and the government). There is also a trust deficit in the MLAs. The Centre is still busy appointing state presidents and focused on elections in states, and Rajasthan is not the priority,” he said.
“Meena continues to raise his voice. Now, he is also talking about land mafias and police atrocities since he knows these are public issues and, hence, he will always get their support. At the same time, the state unit workers are not motivated because many who came from the Congress got preference over the ‘real’ workers who had been toiling hard for the party,” said Singh.
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‘Embarrassing for Bhajan Lal govt’
According to sources, the party and the government are concerned over party MLAs openly raising issues against its government. A party leader told ThePrint that soon after Danga’s letter went viral, the party asked him to issue an explanation publicly as a damage control exercise.
Danga’s letter alleged that officials and workers associated with the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) had occupied administrative positions in his assembly constituency, leading to anger among BJP workers.
Danga’s letter, a copy of which is with ThePrint, said that his recommendations on any transfers went unheard, and the officers associated with the RLP ideology kept getting key positions. He cautioned the government that if it failed to take concrete action, the situation would impact the upcoming urban body polls and panchayat elections.
“Danga demanded immediate cognisance of this matter and the transfer of officials, according to his recommendations. He has issued a clarification since the letter leaked. It became embarrassing for the government,” said a senior BJP leader.
In the letter, Danga further alleged that BJP MLA Hanuman Beniwal seems to be enjoying power in Khinvsar, and efforts were underway to weaken him politically.
ThePrint reached out to Danga, but he was not available for comment.
“Danga ji has already clarified that it is an old letter from January. All the issues he raised in the letter stand resolved, and his demands were met, so there is no point raising this issue now,” said Rajasthan BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bhardwaj.
“Also, as far as Kirodi Lal Meena ji is concerned, it is always good that he keeps highlighting issues related to people, and the government always takes action then. The Opposition has nothing better to do, so it keeps raising these issues,” Bhardwaj added.
However, a senior BJP leader explained the current political situation, saying the central leadership is running the government from Delhi.
“Everyone is aware that the bureaucrats are getting directions directly from the Centre; all decisions are taken there. So, naturally, the MLAs and leaders will use a leaked letter to air their concerns. They know there is no other alternative,” the leader said.
On Wednesday, BJP MLA Balmukundacharya levelled serious corruption allegations against the Smart City project, which has been underway in the Parkota area of Jaipur and questioned officials. However, Minister of State (independent charge) Jhabar Singh Kharra pointed out that there had been no irregularities in the quality of work.
Many within the BJP also claimed that the party MLAs were frustrated because they were hoping to enjoy “power” after a gap of several years. But, even today, the Opposition leaders are getting more “respect”.
“Despite not being in power, senior Congress leaders such as Tika Ram Jully, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan assembly, and Govind Singh Dotasara have been keeping the government on their toes and have a good grip on Rajasthan politics. They also have a good rapport with some of the officials in place during the tenure of the Congress,” said a party functionary.
The situation has become embarrassing for the Bhajan Lal Sharma government, even within the assembly. It has been criticised not only by the Opposition but also by its MLAs.
For instance, the groundwater use Bill, sent to the select committee last August, was submitted to the committee again in February.
The situation turned embarrassing for the BJP government as besides the Opposition, the BJP MLAs also opposed the Bill.
Vishvaraj Singh Mewar, the BJP MLA from Nathdwara, speaking in the assembly, said water conservation was important, but an unclear bill could become a cause of corruption.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
