Two pillars of Bharatiya Janta Party Rajasthan

Bharatiya Janta Party Rajasthan has mainly been conquered by the two aficionados namely; Shri. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Smt. Vasundra Raje. Eminent leader of Bharatiya Janta Party Rajasthan, Shri. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is commonly known as “Babosa” and there is a common saying that “Rajasthan ka ek hi Singh” which is directed towards him. He entered politics in 1952 and joined Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980. Shri. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat goverened Rajasthan for many years and passed away in 2010 at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. Late Shri. Shekhawat was in the national political horizon and also served as the Vice President of India.

Shri. Shekhawat was the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for three terms. This was perhaps the Best phase for Rajasthan as it led to all-round development where the state gained identity on the global level and began to be seen as a rapidly developing and beautiful state. Shri. Shekhawat introduced heritage, rural, desert and wildlife tourism for Rajasthan. He started the “Antyoday Yojna” scheme which was intended to uplift the poorest of the poor. The chairman of the World Bank Robert McNamara, referred to him as the Rockefeller of India.

Shri. Shekhawat became the Vice-President of India in 2002 so he had to leave Rajasthan politics. He appointed Smt. Vasundhara Raje as his successor of Bharatiya Janta Party Rajasthan. Smt. Vasundhara Raje joined Bharatiya Janata Party in 1984 and led the BJP in the 2003 elections to victory. She is the first women Chief Minister of Rajasthan.

A long list of achievements of the 2003 – 2008 BJP government under Smt. Raje can be found on the BJP Rajasthan website. Amongst the honours bestowed upon her, one of the most important achievement was the “Women Together Award’’ in 2007 by the UNO which she received for her exemplary work towards woman empowerment. In March 2013, she was re- elected by the BJP legislators as ‘Leader of Opposition’ in the Legislative Assembly.

Now as elections 2013 are closing in Smt. Raje has become even more prominent as a leader. The dedication that she has shown towards the Rajasthan elections is commendable. After the waves caused by the Suraj Sankalp Sammelan in Jaipur it seems that the return of  BJP in Rajasthan after assembly elections 2013 is almost confirmed.

Vasundara Raje kissing a girl child

Since early years, Vasundhara Raje’s interest has always been in the area of Women empowerment. While she was young, she used to question to her mother Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia as to why women were treated unequally in a democracy. In those times, there existed many social deformities affecting the welfare of women like the Sati system, female foeticide, lack of education for the girl child etc. In her early years, VasundharaRaje could see how worse the situation of Women had become in a country which has the tradition of worshipping women.

A young Vasundhara kissed off all these notions. She knew she had to do something for the welfare of the mothers and sisters of her land. She believed that for the revolution of women empowerment to succeed, it is necessary that a woman be treated in the same way as man. Therefore, to make women liberated, it is essential that progress of women under any government should be encouraged and her rights should be safeguarded.

Vasundhra Raje Kiss

Several years later, she became the first woman Chief Minister of a state like Rajasthan, which was traditionalized as a man-­‐centered state. Smt. Vasundhara Raje was awarded the ‘Women Together Award’ under the aegis of United Nations for encouraging khadi products and kota doria during her stint as a chief minister of the state.

Another unknown fact about her is that Vasundhara Raje loves children. She is blessed with a granddaughter whom she loves to spend time with. In the picture below, Vasundhara Raje is showering kiss and love on children.

She strongly condemns female foeticide and in her term had made many reforms against people involved in such malpractices. Her belief is that a child is the base of all ideas, all wonders, hopes and dreams, especially girl child, since she is the symbol of strength, tolerance and wisdom. She believes that daughters are the incarnations of God who come to the world with a kiss of joy and a faith for a better future.