JAIPUR: The nomination of senior leader and former Minister Ramnarain Choudhary as the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) by party president Sonia Gandhi is being looked upon here as a well thought out strategy to woo the Jats back to the party. The nomination, announced well in time before the ongoing Hyderabad convention of the Congress, has been welcomed by most the senior partymen.

The nomination of Mr.Choudhary ends all speculation over the post of the Leader of the Opposition -- which ipso facto the CLP leader would be -- in the Rajasthan Assembly and the role of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. With Mr.Gehlot getting the new assignment of Uttar Pradesh a fortnight back, it was a foregone conclusion that he would not be the CLP leader. This despite the fact that a few months back, the emissaries of the high command during consultations with party MLAs, had found him having support of maximum legislators.

The choice of Mr.Choudhary, Energy Minister in the previous Government and seventh time MLA, is acceptable to Mr.Gehlot as well. In fact Mr.Choudhary was the first among the Jat MLAs to support Mr.Gehlot for the post of CLP leader when the MLAs were consulted on the same. Mr.Gehlot has been among the first to congratulate Mr.Choudhary on his nomination.

"Mr.Choudhary is among the senior-most leaders of the Rajasthan Congress. He has always worked for strengthening the party's programmes and policies. Be it in the Government or in the party organisation, he always remained non-controversial and clean," Mr.Gehlot said in a statement.

Mr.Choudhary's nomination ends the responsibility of B.D. Kalla as the Pradesh Congress Committee president and the CLP leader. Mr.Kalla also has welcomed the appointment.

The political observers find merit in the timing of the nomination for the reason that the Bharatiya Janata Party was also said to be considering nominating a Jat leader as its State president. Had the Congress delayed the nomination, the community would have termed it as only a "reaction".

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail