Shah consults RSS chief on defiant Vasundhara

Bhartiya Janata Party President Amit Shah had a 3hour long session with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat and general secretary Bhaiyaji Joshi on Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje's defiance to let the party replace state BJP chief Ashok Parnami, a Jaipur MLA, with Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, minister of state for agriculture in her ministry.

Parnami, a close confident of the chief minister, sent in his resignation from the post he was holding for the last four years a week ago on a call from BJP organising general secretary Ramlal from Delhi, but his successor could not be appointed because of the CM's strong opposition.

Sources close to the CM says she is opposing Shekhawat's appointment on the ground that it would anger the Jat community in view of his recent anti-Jat remark. She is lobbying for union minister of state Arjun Ram Meghawal or Kota MP Om Birla, warning that it would be difficult to win the Assembly elections in November if Shekhawat is at the helm of affairs in the party.

Amit Shah is upset that conceding her demand would mean a loss of face for both him and Prime Minister Modi as they had already made public Shekhawat's name. He wanted the RSS chief to intervene.

Sources in the RSS said its chief Bhagwat also raised the issue of Uttar Praadesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath fast losing credibility and wanted to know if the proposed cabinet reshuffle by him would help.