Kirodi Lal Meena
Jaipur Minister Kirodi Lal Meena : At a public prayer gathering in Jaipur, 72-year-old Rajasthan BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena announced his resignation from the state government and all positions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given Mr. Meena seven seats in eastern Rajasthan, two of which were reserved for the BJP. Last month, before the ballots for the 2024 Lok Sabha election were counted, Mr. Meena, who handled various portfolios, including Agriculture and Rural Development, announced that he would resign.
“After speaking with me, the PM offered me a list of seven seats. Hours before the count began, he announced, “I worked hard, and if the party loses even one seat out of those seven, I will leave the post of minister.”
Mr. Meena’s gamble was safe, considering the BJP had swept the state in 2014, taking 24 of the 25 seats (an ally won the remaining one). It had also driven out the Congress in the previous year’s Assembly election.
Exit polls failed to predict the dramatic surprise that saw the Congress-led INDIA alliance gain eight seats, despite not winning a single seat in the 2009 and 2014 elections. Of those, Mr. Meena was charged with winning four constituencies: Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Dausa, Karauli-Dholpur, and Bharatpur.
The Congress’s Murari Meena defeated the BJP’s Kanhaiya Lal Meena by 2.37 lakh votes in Dausa, the seat that Mr. Meena had previously held, regaining the stronghold of party veteran Rajesh Pilot.
To emphasize his resolve to honor his word at all costs, Mr. Meena shared the well-known Ramcharitramanas verses, “Raghukul reeti sada chali aai, pran jaai par vachan na jaai,” on X on Thursday.
Kirodi Lal Meena also stated to reporters that there was no need for bitterness. My resignation has been made. I was not present at the most recent cabinet meeting. Morally, I could not go.”
According to sources, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma attempted to convince the influential tribal chief to rethink his choice, which is why the official announcement was postponed. “The Chief Minister and I also met. As Mr. Meena had already stated, “He respectfully stated he will not accept the resignation.”
Tika Ram Jully of the Congress, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, has meanwhile hailed Mr. Meen’s resignation, claiming his opponent had fulfilled his pledge. Another jab at the BJP was made.
“This government failed with Kirodi Lal Meena’s resignation. Kirodi Lal carried out his words, saying “praan jaaye par vachan na jaaye.” He gave the explanation that the public is dissatisfied with government policies as to why he resigned. “People are not being considered when making decisions,” he said.
In Rajasthan, the BJP’s total Lok Sabha seat count was just 14, which is a 10 percent decrease from its 2019 results. It had anticipated winning 370 seats nationwide on its own and over 400 with its partners in the National Democratic Alliance, but a strong showing by the opposition kept it limited to 240 and 293 seats, respectively. The Congress achieved its highest result in the last three elections when it won 99 seats on its own.
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