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The discontentment brewing in the Rajasthan unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party over the appointment of Vasundhara Raje Scindia as its chief spilled over with former deputy chief minister Hari Shankar Bhabhara ruling out the possibility of projecting her as the future chief minister.
"It is the right of the legislators to choose their leader for the office of the chief minister in a democratic system and no individual can decide this issue," he said.
Bhabhara was reacting to Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma's statement that Raje, who is also the Union minister of state for smallscale industries, would be the next chief minister.
He expressed anguish over the title Maharani used for Raje by Verma in his speech. The Constitution does not recognise any Maharaja or Maharani. The days of royalty have gone and we are living in democracy, he said.
"Verma should to confine himself to the politics in Delhi and not dabble in the affairs of Rajasthan," he added.
Bhabhara objected to Raje still holding the Union ministerial berth. She should follow the party's one-man, one-post tradition as had been done by the party president Venkaiah Naidu and spokesman Arun Jaitley, he said.
The job of the state chief of the organisation is full time and Raje should settle in Jaipur to prepare the cadres for next battle of ballot to oust the Congress from power, he added.
Supporters of Raje staged a protest march against Bhabhara outside the state party headquarters by burning an effigy of the former deputy chief minister. BJP corporator Kishen Sharma led them.
Bhabhara is vitiating the atmosphere and projecting the party as a divided house by making such comments to the media, he said.
Several state leaders who are uncomfortable over Raje's appointment as the party chief, however, have adopted a neutral stance.
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