Jaipur: Rajasthan Agricultural Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirodi Lal Meena has handed in his resignation to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma following the party’s defeat in the Dausa seat during the Lok Sabha elections.
Before the polls, Meena had declared that he would step down from his position if the party lost any of the seven Parliamentary seats under his responsibility. Even though the resignation was submitted a few days ago, it has not been accepted yet.
After the BJP’s loss in the Dausa seat, there were widespread speculations regarding his resignation. Congress candidate Murari Lal Meea secured victory in this seat with 6,46,266 votes, defeating BJP’s Kanhaiya Lal Meena who obtained 2,37,340 votes. Following closely, BSP’s Sonu Dhanka finished third, trailed by two Independents.
Meena, who also holds the portfolio for agriculture, rural development, disaster management, and relief, mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assigned him the responsibility for the seven seats in eastern Rajasthan, on which he had worked fervently. The other Lok Sabha constituencies under his responsibility where BJP faced defeat were Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, and Tonk-Sawai Madhopur.
An aide of the minister reported, “Kirodi Meena resigned as minister. He gave the resignation to the chief minister 10 days back,”. Additionally, the BJP leader posted the famous lines from Ramcharitramanas ‘Raghukul reeti sada chali aai, pran jaai par vachan na jaai’ to underscore his resolute commitment to uphold his promise at any cost.
Meena stated that he resigned to keep his word, emphasizing that there is no reason for resentment. He further explained that he refrained from attending the recent Cabinet meeting as a mark of his resignation. Despite his actions, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma respectfully declined to accept the resignation.
Following the sweeping victory of the BJP in the state in the December assembly polls last year, Meena was considered a contender for the role of chief minister. However, the party leadership ultimately selected first-time MLA Bhajanlal Sharma to lead the state.
