Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Cabinet Minister for Jal Shakti, was the chief guest at Sunday Guardian Foundation’s “Capital Dialogue” last week. He handled questions that varied from the Yamuna floods to the Indus Water Treaty and of course, questions about the coming Rajasthan elections, as well as Opposition politics. What came across during the interaction was not just his grasp over his ministry’s affairs but also the ease and dry humour with which he handled the political questions, ensuring that each answer became a catchy soundbite. For instance, when asked whether Rahul Gandhi ruling himself out as the Prime Ministerial face would make any impact on the Opposition’s fortunes, the minister retorted that during his childhood he had read an Amar Chitra Katha story about sour grapes. He then went on to elaborate further by stating that Rahul’s statement reminded him of a boy in his school who once declared that “whatever happens, I will never-ever marry Hema Malini!” His point about relinquishing unattainable goals was not lost on the audience. Shekhawat certainly knows how to play to the crowd.
Gehlot vs Pilot vs Shekhawat
A two-term Lok Sabha MP from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Gajendra Shekhawat had defeated sitting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s son, Vaibhav Gehlot in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Later, in 2020, the Gehlot faction of the Rajasthan Congress alleged that Shekhawat was wooing Sachin Pilot to break away and topple the Gehlot government. There have been media reports of an alleged telephone conversation between Shekhawat and Pilot that incriminated the duo. Both Shekhawat and Pilot have denied the above, but this has led to a rather interesting perception that there is an unofficial alignment of sympathies between Gehlot and Vasundhara Raje Scindia on the one hand; and between Pilot and Shekhawat on the other. When asked about his association with both the Congress leaders, Shekhawat made it categorically clear that he had never reached out to Sachin Pilot to break the Congress. When pressed about his association with Pilot, he added that he had only met Sachin Pilot twice on a one to one basis (vyaktigat mulakaat). And both times, it was during 2018 on the eve of Assembly polls when he was given organisational charge of the elections. “At the time during bipartisan TV debates, I met him in the TV studios twice. That too, we never sat together on the same debate but came face to face as we were entering or exiting the studio. Once as he was leaving after his session and once when my session was before him. We only stopped to say Namaste. After that, till today “meri Sachin Pilot se telephone par Ram-Ram bhi nahin hui hai. But, the respected CM is a jadoogar and can do all kinds of jadoo (magic).”
Balancing the Books
During the Congress plenary meet in Raipur most Congress leaders from South India were often seen at the city’s famous Indian Coffee House, preferring its dosas and their favourite brand of South Indian coffee over the five-star fare laid out for them. The catch, however, was that most of them left without settling a somewhat hefty bill. It was only five months later, after the owner reached out to an aghast K.C. Venugopal that he ensured that bill was finally cleared. Guess being organisational secretary sees all kinds of problems in your in-tray, but this was one for the (good) books.