Fissures between BJP and RLD deepen as Vasundhara Raje loyalists challenge Beniwal to quit NDA

JAIPUR: The threat of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal to withdraw support to the NDA government over the Farm bills three days ago has ignited a fierce clash with some sections of the Rajasthan BJP. A number of Vasundhra Raje loyalists have openly challenged Beniwal not to threaten BJP and if needed, he can immediately break his ties with the saffron party.

Hanuman Beniwal, an alliance partner of the NDA, had on Monday said he would have to reconsider his party’s support to the Centre if the new Farm laws are not withdrawn. Beniwal, who is the convener of the RLP, had shot off a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the three farm laws immediately and implement all the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission. In a tweet on Monday, Beniwal said, “RLP is a constituent party of NDA, but its strength is farmers and soldiers. If (Modi government) will not take any quick action, then I might have to consider being NDA’s ally.”

Beniwal's open stand had angered many in the Rajasthan BJP who are fed up with his antics and posturing on many issues. Leaders of the Vasundhra Raje camp such as Pratap Singh Singhvi, Bhawani Singh Rajawat, and Prahlad Gunjal, and a few others have now dared Beniwal to break his ties with the BJP.

Raje loyalists have not only issued a joint statement attacking Beniwal but have even sent a letter to the party high command asking them why they are tolerating Beniwal. In their statement, they have called Beniwal a leader of just one caste who uses every opportunity to defame Vasundhara Raje though she remains popular with millions of people in Rajasthan.

These Raje loyalists have pointed out that if the RLP Chief and his few MLAs quit NDA, it will hardly affect the BJP. They have asked the BJP High Command to become pro-active and end their ties with the RLP. Currently, Beniwal is the only MP from RPL and the party has just three MLAs, all from Nagaur district.

Ties between Vasundhara Raje and Beniwal have been bitter for a long time. Beniwal is a senior Jat leader from Rajasthan’s Nagaur district who was initially a member of the BJP. But he left the party over differences with the then CM Vasundhara Raje and launched his own party ahead of the 2018 state assembly polls.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the RLP forged an alliance with the BJP in Rajasthan. But after the elections, Beniwal has through his statements often embarrassed Raje and the BJP. Now by expressing his intention to sever ties with the NDA over the farm laws, the fissures in the BJP-RLP alliance have deepened more than ever before.

However, Beniwal is hardly bothered by the attack from Raje loyalists. He retorted: “Leaders who have written this letter have no identity or stature. The BJP-RLP alliance was forged with the BJP’s central leadership in the presence of Amit Shah. And it's only us we who will decide the future of this alliance.”