New Delhi: After 10 months of non-cooperation, following his resignation from the Rajasthan cabinet in the wake of Bharatiya Janata Party’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls last year, state agriculture minister Kirodi Lal Meena is back at work, even as he continues to launch salvos at the party.
Speaking to ThePrint Sunday after a Holi event in his Sawai Madhopur constituency, he confirmed that he was asked by the central leadership of the party to resume duty and asserted, “I was never angry with the party.”
At the event, however, he targeted his detractors within the BJP, saying, “There was no force left that did not try to defeat me in the elections. This included people from home as well as outside.”
“You people (of constituency) tried your best to make me win,” he told the gathering, proceeding to criticise the BJP’s selection process for chief minister post the 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections.
“I have been in politics for 45 years and have won twice from Sawai Madhopur, both times becoming a minister. But when the decision came from above, what could I do? You can understand what happened,” he said, referring to the surprise selection of first-time MLA Bhajan Lal as the chief minister during the BJP legislative party meeting in December 2023, after the assembly poll results. That time, central observer Rajnath Singh had opened a paper slip to announce the name of the candidate selected by the party’s Delhi leadership.
Six months later, after the general elections, Meena resigned as cabinet minister on the grounds that he had failed to deliver on his promise of victory in east Rajasthan. But it was widely believed that his move was to do with the party not picking him for the CM’s or even deputy CM’s post, despite his seniority. He had also stopped attending cabinet meetings, using his official car and residence, and reduced his work as minister.
BJP sources told ThePrint that Meena’s resignation was never accepted and the high command has now asked him to resume his duties “assuring that his concerns would be respected”.
“A recent meeting between Meena and the central BJP leadership in Delhi to resolve the standoff led to him agreeing to resume work. Subsequently, Meena has returned to his position as agriculture minister,” a party source said.
Meena too told ThePrint Sunday “more than nine months have passed since I submitted my resignation, but it was not accepted. Now I have been instructed by the central leadership to resume work”.
“I will now work with full energy and ensure farmers of the state benefit from all the schemes of the agriculture ministry and Rajasthan becomes a model state.”
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How Meena was persuaded
Meena has since last year worked more as a whistleblower within the Rajasthan government, raking up one issue after another.
He has continuously campaigned for cancellation of the 2021 sub-inspector (SI) recruitment exam over allegations of paper leak and highlighted to the CM the alleged fraud in registrations at Rajasthan Medical Council. He has also alleged “irregularities” in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state.
In a bid to placate him, the BJP high command fielded his brother Jagmohan Meena for the Dausa bypoll last November, but he lost, with Meena blaming “jaichands” (betrayers) within the party for the defeat.
A state BJP MLA told ThePrint: “Soon after Bhajan Lal became CM, it was clear there was a power struggle between him and Kirodi Lal Meena. Before the assembly election, Meena had cornered the (previous) Ashok Gehlot government on the paper leak issue. The BJP had promised to cancel the SI recruitment exam (if voted to power).”
“In October, Bhajan Lal constituted a GOM (group of ministers) to decide on it. Meena raised the issue in a cabinet meeting, and even the police headquarters suggested cancelling the exam. Later, the GOM recommended the same, but the government did not act. Even the Rajasthan High Court asked why the government was not cancelling the exam despite evidence of corruption. This was seen as a battle between the two. Since then, Meena has continued to attack the Bhajan Lal government,” he added.
In early February this year, Meena alleged at a public meeting that the Bhajan Lal government was tapping his phone because he had raised issues of corruption. The state home minister denied the claim.
“When I demanded that the SI recruitment exam be cancelled, the government didn’t cancel it. Instead, the CID was instructed to tap my phone. We came to power by raising the paper leak issue, but that has been forgotten now,” he said.
Meena’s charge was a huge embarrassment for the state. The accusations became a hot topic in the assembly session, with the opposition Congress slamming the government.
The BJP sent Meena a show-notice on 10 February, asking him to explain the reason behind tarnishing the party’s image by publishing news of his resignation and accusing the government of phone-tapping, despite being a minister. The party gave him three days to respond.
A second party source said: “After Meena accused his own government of tapping his phone, and following the notice issued to him, it seemed like the war was escalating between him and the CM. A few central leaders intervened and assured Meena that his concerns would be respected, but first, he had to resume his duties. This is how Meena was persuaded to resume work.”
“Last year, when he had met the BJP president, he had agreed to resume work but did not. The BJP tried again to pacify him by fielding his brother in the bypoll, but his loss made matters murkier as he suspected the CM worked against him,” he added.
Meena’s return to work has not been sudden, though he had avoided the entire budget session in February, just like he had shunned the previous one.
Last week, he first visited Bikaner to participate in a kisan mela and made an address. After the event, he told the media: “From today, I have become active again. This is my birthplace, and now my active politics has restarted.”
Then on Saturday, while visiting Dausa, Meena met with the district collector to address issues related to a power plant and participated in the Rajasthan Divas programme in the district. During his visit, he told reporters: “I made a few commitments to the party, which I could not deliver during the Lok Sabha elections. After I resigned, the party leadership asked me to resume work, so I have started. I will now fix accountability and show how work can be done with speed.”
A Rajasthan BJP vice-president told ThePrint: “Many leaders were of the view that since the party came to power on the corruption plank and paper leak issue, Meena’s concerns have substance. It seems the Meena issue is resolved for the time being. However, knowing him, he will not remain quiet for long.”
C.R. Chaudhary, state BJP vice-president, denied talks of rift between Meena and the Rajasthan CM. “Meena is a senior leader of the party and there can be differences of opinion on any subject. There is no rift between the CM and Meena. He is working as a minister in the cabinet,” he said.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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