Manvendra Singh, BJP MLA from Sheo, Rajasthan and son of former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh is likely to quit BJP after his Swabhiman Rally to be held in Barmer today. The speculations have been doing rounds for quite some time regarding the growing differences between Singh and BJP. He also did not attend Raje’s Gaurav Yatra in Barmer and Pachpadra earlier this month.
The bitterness between BJP and Manvendra Singh became evident when Chitra Singh, wife of Manvendra Singh slammed CM Vasundhara Raje and her government and said that people of Jaisalmer and Barmer have been suffering under this rule. Addressing people, Chitra Singh had said, “In the days to come, we have to throw out this government. Swabhimaan Rally will happen in which you people should participate in maximum numbers. We want to tell Vasundhara Raje that people here are self-respecting. If people here are oppressed, then a voice shall be raised against that.” After the rally was announced by Singh on August 27th he has been campaigning extensively and asking people to attend his rally. On being asked is he going to join Congress party, he said, “This is not our Swabhiman, it is about the respect of all people. What I will do where I will go, I cannot tell. It will be decided by the people in the rally tomorrow”, reported DNA.
The region of Barmer and Jaisalmer has a fairly large number of Rajput, Dalit and Muslim communities who have shown a lot of support to the father-son duo. There are rumors that members of the Rajput community are openly speaking about their resentment with Vasundhara Raje government and hence Manvendra Singh might hope to benefit from the anger by parting ways with the BJP. According to some sources, Manvendra Singh might not contest assembly elections this time, though he is looking forward to contest the Lok Sabha elections to be held in 2019.
The resentment between the Singh family and the BJP started when Jaswant Singh was denied ticket to 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Barmer. Feeling betrayed he quit BJP and fought the election independently but lost to BJP’s Retired colonel Sonaram Chowdhry who was formerly in the Congress party and was supposedly recommended by Vasundhara Raje. Manvendra Sigh had campaigned for his father in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll. Jaswant Singh was also expelled from his party for writing a book called, Jinnah:India, Partition and Independence in which he blamed Nehru for the partition and praised Jinnah. However, he was reinstated in the party in 2010.