Jaipur diary: Gehlot favourite to remain Rajasthan DG for two years

In Rajasthan, the monsoon has been raining happiness. CM Ashok Gehlot is among those who are happy with the bountiful showers though many in the BJP seem perturbed.

Monsoon fills dams, thrills Gehlot

In Rajasthan, the monsoon has been raining happiness. CM Ashok Gehlot is among those who are happy with the bountiful showers though many in the BJP seem perturbed. Besides reducing his worries on water supply, Gehlot hopes that the monsoon bounty will help wipe out a criticism attached to his name for decades. As a string of droughts had hit Rajasthan during Gehlot’s first term as CM, the BJP had spread the propaganda that ‘A’ the first letter of Gehlot’s name is for ‘akaal’ or drought. Hence, bringing in Gehlot as CM has led to ‘akaal’. Now, Gehlot hopes the rains will wash off seal the lips of his critics. 

Gehlot favourite to remain DG for two years 

In compliance with a Supreme Court order on police reforms, the Rajasthan government has extended the tenure of current director general of police (DGP) Bhupendra Singh Yadav to ensure that he remains the DG for two years. He was appointed as DGP in July and was to retire on December 31. But the state government extended his appointment till June 30, 2021. An order in this regard was recently issued by the department of personnel. A 1986 batch IPS officer, Bhupendra Yadav is one of the senior-most IPS officers and was earlier posted as ATS and SOG DG. He has had long postings in Jodhpur, which is the home turf of CM Ashok Gehlot. Soft-spoken Bhupendra Singh has a clean image and is known to be one of Gehlot’s most trusted officers.

Student union elections in Rajasthan 

Over 10 lakh students of 10 major universities, including the University of Rajasthan, and over 200 colleges in the state voted for students union elections on Tuesday. The Rajasthan University is set for a close battle between two traditional rivals – the ABVP and the NSUI. For the post of the president of RUSU, the fight will mainly be between Amit Kumar Badbadwal of ABVP and Uttam Choudhary of NSUI, who was earlier the president of Law College Students Union. Counting of votes will take place from 11 am on Wednesday. The results will be declared in the evening. 

Gehlot’s ‘chai pe charcha’ creates a flutter

During the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign PM Narendra Modi had gathered quiet a following due to his ‘chai pe charcha’ campaign. Now, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot is using the same tactic to connect with the common man. After flagging off the ‘Akshaya Urja’ race, Gehlot suddenly reached the Sahu Restaurant in Ramnivas Bagh at 7 am. Gehlot and other ministers had a conversation with people at the restaurant. One talking point was the presence of ministers who are close to deputy CM Sachin Pilot.