Congress workers Ilyas Mohammad, Akhtar Khan and Rakesh Kalla at Hari Om Paan Palace in Jodhpur. (Express Photo by Hamza Khan)Among some Congress workers in Jodhpur, there seems to be a consensus, or perhaps wishful thinking, that while it is confirmed that Ashok Gehlot will contest the Congress presidential elections and even go on to win it, he may still have a few cards up his sleeve –—and retain the Chief Minister post. At best, he will ensure that it is handed over to a “like-minded” person, which means someone other than his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
These days, the topic of discussion at the ‘hathais’ or ‘addas’ around tea stalls, paan shops and temples in the lanes in some of the older localities of Jodhpur are concerning the city’s tallest leader since the time of the Maharajas.
At Hari Om Paan Palace, Congress corporator Rakesh Kalla, 48, gets all emotional as he talks about Gehlot’s legacy: “He implemented One Pension Scheme, gave health insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, started English-medium schools where the poorest can send their children…but if he goes (steps down as CM), Jodhpur will be like a body without a heart.”
Uday Kishan, who runs the paan shop, is also a Congress worker. “It will be good for the Congress but kshati hogi Jodhpur ko (it will be a loss for Jodhpur),” he says.
They’re interrupted by an angry Anand Bora, 79, also a Congress worker. “It is this ji huzuri (sycophancy) that has brought Congress to where it is now. One should keep their aalochak (critics) nearby,” he says, batting for Sachin Pilot as chief minister and cabinet minister B D Kalla as party state president. “Change is necessary and old and young need to be taken along,” he says.
Calling Gehlot “Jodhpur’s godfather”, Akhtar Khan, also a councillor, says, “BJP has 25 LS MPs (including former ally Hanuman Beniwal), yet he has more weight than all of them put together,” Khan says.
Ilyas Mohammad, whose wife Parveen is a councillor, says that, “the wheels of development will slow down (if Gehlot were to move out of Rajasthan). It will have an impact on the next elections. Whenever any citizen has any work that needs to be done, the CM approves it with a big heart.”
Sitting at the party office in Jaswant Sarai, Congress district president Saleem Khan says that, “it is our heart’s desire that he continue as CM. And he has indicated that he will indeed present the next state budget.”
Following the developments of the last few days, Khan says that among local Congress workers, “ek maayusi, ek darr hona laazmi hai (disappointment and apprehension are only natural).” However, he says, the apprehensions are unfounded since Gehlot is only being promoted. “We are familiar with his politics. He is always here even when he may not be here in person. Jodhpur politics won’t change, no matter what post he occupies,” he says, while insisting that Gehlot will continue as CM for now.
Among some Congress workers in Jodhpur, there seems to be a consensus, or perhaps wishful thinking, that while it is confirmed that Ashok Gehlot will contest the Congress presidential elections and even go on to win it, he may still have a few cards up his sleeve –—and retain the Chief Minister post. At best, he will ensure that it is handed over to a “like-minded” person, which means someone other than his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
These days, the topic of discussion at the ‘hathais’ or ‘addas’ around tea stalls, paan shops and temples in the lanes in some of the older localities of Jodhpur are concerning the city’s tallest leader since the time of the Maharajas.
At Hari Om Paan Palace, Congress corporator Rakesh Kalla, 48, gets all emotional as he talks about Gehlot’s legacy: “He implemented One Pension Scheme, gave health insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, started English-medium schools where the poorest can send their children…but if he goes (steps down as CM), Jodhpur will be like a body without a heart.”
Uday Kishan, who runs the paan shop, is also a Congress worker. “It will be good for the Congress but kshati hogi Jodhpur ko (it will be a loss for Jodhpur),” he says.
They’re interrupted by an angry Anand Bora, 79, also a Congress worker. “It is this ji huzuri (sycophancy) that has brought Congress to where it is now. One should keep their aalochak (critics) nearby,” he says, batting for Sachin Pilot as chief minister and cabinet minister B D Kalla as party state president. “Change is necessary and old and young need to be taken along,” he says.
Calling Gehlot “Jodhpur’s godfather”, Akhtar Khan, also a councillor, says, “BJP has 25 LS MPs (including former ally Hanuman Beniwal), yet he has more weight than all of them put together,” Khan says.
Ilyas Mohammad, whose wife Parveen is a councillor, says that, “the wheels of development will slow down (if Gehlot were to move out of Rajasthan). It will have an impact on the next elections. Whenever any citizen has any work that needs to be done, the CM approves it with a big heart.”
Sitting at the party office in Jaswant Sarai, Congress district president Saleem Khan says that, “it is our heart’s desire that he continue as CM. And he has indicated that he will indeed present the next state budget.”
Following the developments of the last few days, Khan says that among local Congress workers, “ek maayusi, ek darr hona laazmi hai (disappointment and apprehension are only natural).” However, he says, the apprehensions are unfounded since Gehlot is only being promoted. “We are familiar with his politics. He is always here even when he may not be here in person. Jodhpur politics won’t change, no matter what post he occupies,” he says, while insisting that Gehlot will continue as CM for now.
While the Jodhpur Congress unit has been divided into two units, it used to be a single unit till 2021, and was headed by Saeed Ansari, now 71, for about 17 years. Ansari says that it is a proud moment for Jodhpur and Rajasthan to be sending the next party president, a first in the party’s long history. Echoing Khan, Ansari says that the common man will not be affected by the change, “but for those of us who used to have a direct entry into the CM’s office, things will change”.
Saying he will “respect whoever becomes the CM”, Ansari adds, “Par badlav toh jo woh chahenge wahi aayega (Gehlot will have a say in what changes). He is sharp, he keeps an eye not only on Jodhpur but all of Rajasthan, especially since elections are due here next year.”
At their home in Shastri Nagar, the industrialist Tatiya family has framed photographs of their family members with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, among others.
“There was a time when there were just two trains to Jodhpur – Agra Fort at 8 pm and Delhi Mail at 2 pm. There was a lone private airstrip from the Maharaja era. The water scarcity in these parts was so intense that families often contemplated leaving Jodhpur together,” says Kailash Tatiya, 82, who says his relationship with Gehlot goes back four to five decades. “Back then, Gehlot would start doing the rounds at 4 am, checking which areas don’t have water and make arrangements for the same,” Kailash says.
His son Anil Tatiya says that when Gehlot was an MP, “there was a permanent room for people from Jodhpur at his place in Delhi. Anyone from Jodhpur could arrive in the morning, keep their bags, go around Delhi, return to Jodhpur, and didn’t even have to inform Gehlot ji.”
The Tatiya family, like many others in Jodhpur, credit Gehlot for changing the face of Jodhpur drastically and for bringing in a number of universities — from the Ayurved University (2003) to the National Law University (1999), IIT (2008), NIFT (2010) and AIIMS (2012).
However, BJP district president Devendra Joshi dismisses the Congress’s claims of Gehlot changing the face of the city, pointing out that AIIMS was announced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government and came to Jodhpur thanks to senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh.
Joshi adds that the many Jodhpur institutions for which the Congress and Gehlot claim credit don’t necessarily help the locals. “For example, there is no reservation at the NLU for locals. We have an IIT, but again, our boy and girls don’t get the benefit,” Joshi said.
Joshi insists Gehlot was a different person when he started off, “unlike now, when he is always surrounded by a coterie”. Accusing Gehlot of indulging in appeasement politics and giving contracts to people from his own OBC Mali community, Joshi sympathises with Sachin Pilot.
While the Jodhpur Congress unit has been divided into two units, it used to be a single unit till 2021, and was headed by Saeed Ansari, now 71, for about 17 years. Ansari says that it is a proud moment for Jodhpur and Rajasthan to be sending the next party president, a first in the party’s long history. Echoing Khan, Ansari says that the common man will not be affected by the change, “but for those of us who used to have a direct entry into the CM’s office, things will change”.
Saying he will “respect whoever becomes the CM”, Ansari adds, “Par badlav toh jo woh chahenge wahi aayega (Gehlot will have a say in what changes). He is sharp, he keeps an eye not only on Jodhpur but all of Rajasthan, especially since elections are due here next year.”
At their home in Shastri Nagar, the industrialist Tatiya family has framed photographs of their family members with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, among others.
“There was a time when there were just two trains to Jodhpur – Agra Fort at 8 pm and Delhi Mail at 2 pm. There was a lone private airstrip from the Maharaja era. The water scarcity in these parts was so intense that families often contemplated leaving Jodhpur together,” says Kailash Tatiya, 82, who says his relationship with Gehlot goes back four to five decades. “Back then, Gehlot would start doing the rounds at 4 am, checking which areas don’t have water and make arrangements for the same,” Kailash says.
His son Anil Tatiya says that when Gehlot was an MP, “there was a permanent room for people from Jodhpur at his place in Delhi. Anyone from Jodhpur could arrive in the morning, keep their bags, go around Delhi, return to Jodhpur, and didn’t even have to inform Gehlot ji.”
The Tatiya family, like many others in Jodhpur, credit Gehlot for changing the face of Jodhpur drastically and for bringing in a number of universities — from the Ayurved University (2003) to the National Law University (1999), IIT (2008), NIFT (2010) and AIIMS (2012).
However, BJP district president Devendra Joshi dismisses the Congress’s claims of Gehlot changing the face of the city, pointing out that AIIMS was announced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government and came to Jodhpur thanks to senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh.
Joshi adds that the many Jodhpur institutions for which the Congress and Gehlot claim credit don’t necessarily help the locals. “For example, there is no reservation at the NLU for locals. We have an IIT, but again, our boy and girls don’t get the benefit,” Joshi said.
Joshi insists Gehlot was a different person when he started off, “unlike now, when he is always surrounded by a coterie”. Accusing Gehlot of indulging in appeasement politics and giving contracts to people from his own OBC Mali community, Joshi sympathises with Sachin Pilot.