SAFFRON CHAMPAGNE
A pearls-and-chiffon socialite or a closet fanatic? Poornima Joshi discovers
the real Vasundhara Raje
Desert Queen: Vasundhara in Rajasthani costume
Photo S. Khan
For the Davis Cup tie on April 29, Vasundhara was to deliver the opening
address. The match was to start at 9.30am. She sauntered in only at
10.45am. Even the world?s third richest man LN Mittal had to wait for half-
an-hour to meet the CM
>From the tip of a manicured toe to the disdainful toss of her lustrous mane,
everything about the Maharani of Dholpur aka Rajasthan Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje spells arrogance. She is out-of-bounds and above the
mundane world of governance. Her officers tremble even as they get her to
do the most basic of a chief minister?s tasks ? like clearing files. The only
time the maharani switches her regal demeanour is when she is hobnobbing
with astrologers and pandits, and temple-hopping in ethnic chic, with dollops
of sindoor for the benefit of her doting praja.
As most of her contemporaries trample their chances in the battle for the top
job in the BJP ? Uma Bharti with her tantrums and Narendra Modi with his
high-handedness ? Vasundhara?s popularity ratings continue to soar. Even
the most vocal of the Sangh adversaries have only nice things to say about
her. ?Vasundhara Raje is not Uma Bharti,? wrote Mani Shankar Aiyar in his
pre-ministerial days, obviously referring to Raje?s ?liberal? credentials as
compared to the rabble-rousing sanyasin.
Aiyar is right. Vasundhara is not Uma. The sindoor-wielding maharani is a far
more circumspect and shrewd politician than poor Uma who hurts herself
every time she opens her mouth. The two women, who fought the Assembly
elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in the same year, have charted
out courses that are similar in ideological essence but quite different in
presentation.
So, while Uma prays with sundry sadhus in Amarkantak, Vasundhara has done
what would keep RSS satraps happy for a long time. Take a look at the
measures taken to keep the Sangh in good spirits:
She has not appealed against the lower court order on the Deorala Sati
incident acquitting all the accused;
The practice of Sati is being glorified. The state government recently
announced the setting up of a township named ?Shri Rani Sati Nagar?. After
protests, the government omitted ?Sati? from the name, letting it remain Shri
Rani Nagar;
The government is encouraging the Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS offshoot,
to open more schools in tribal areas. Even the Muslim students have to sport
tilaks and recite shlokas in these schools;
There has been a spate of communal incidents in the state, the latest
erupting in Bhilwara town after the alleged killing of an RSS activist;
In the areas where communal tension resulted in the police registering cases
against VHP and Bajrang Dal activists, counter-firs have been filed against the
victims, mostly Muslims. According to human rights groups, there are 150
such counter-firs;
She has lifted the ban on trishul diksha.
In the areas neighbouring Gujarat, incidents of communal violence are on the
rise. Local activists allege that the RSS, Bajrang Dal and VHP are inciting
tribals to attack the Muslim population in these areas. A 5,000-strong mob of
tribals attacked two Muslim localities in Sarada village near Udaipur late last
year. Timely intervention by the police, however, prevented major bloodshed.
The government, on its part, transferred Ravi Prakash Mehta, the officer on
duty who saved many lives.
The police deny that by transferring Mehta, the government is sending a
message to the rest of the officers to be lenient towards the rioters. ?There
have been such
incidents in the neighbouring districts. But after the Sarada episode, we have
not witnessed any trouble in Udaipur,? says Suresh Pandya, the additional
superintendent of police in Udaipur.
Senior police officers reveal state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, an RSS
pracharak who can still be seen walking around the Civil Lines area in his
trademark khaki shorts after a round of the morning shakha, has made it
clear that the Sangh activists are not to be prosecuted even in a communally
tense situation. ?It is a usual practice nowadays to book the Muslims after
every incident of communal tension in any area. Counter-firs against victims,
who are usually Muslims, are routine,? says a senior police officer.
THE ROYAL REPORT CARD
SHE SAYS
THEY SAY
? No overdraft even for a day since February 10, 2004 ? The
government has failed to provide a single job to unemployed youth
? Special focus on women and child development with specific budgetary
allocations. ? The state crime graph has increased by 5.23 percent
? Renewed efforts to boost tourism, including a liberal excise policyg
? Rise in incidents of communal violence in Banswara, Chittor,
Udaipur districts
? Setting up of a special unit in the CM?s office to monitor water,
electricity and drought situationn ? Drought and poverty are forcing
hundreds to commit suicide in
the villages
Local NGOs and civil rights groups allege that the government has turned a
blind eye to the functioning of communal elements in the state. According to
Rehana, a social worker with Kala Mandir, an NGO, in Kotra block of Udaipur
district bordering Sabarkanta in Gujarat, the RSS has succeeded in
communalising tribals. ?We never had any trouble in these parts. But now,
these people have slowly spread their network. We now fear for our lives in
these areas where I have peacefully worked for more than 12 years,? says
Rehana.
Rehana, like other Muslims in Kotra, sends her children to Dr Vijaya Apte
Vidya Mandir, a school run by the Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (VKA). Her eight-
year-old son is forced to wear a tilak and recite shlokas every day. ?When I
complained, they told me I was free to take my son out of the school. The
problem is, there is no other school here. And these people take advantage of
the situation,? says Rehana.
After the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the atmosphere has been further vitiated.
?The VKAs and the Bajrang Dal have intensified activities in Rajasthan. The
Bajrang Dal has an office in the neighbouring Khedbrahma (Sabarkanta
district, Gujarat) from where they organise activities in Rajasthan freely,?
says
Rehana.
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