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A queen's welcome awaits Raje

Sunny Sebastian

CM returns home tomorrow from her fortnight's sojourn abroad

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje

JAIPUR: A queen's welcome awaits Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje when she returns here on Saturday after a fortnight's sojourn abroad. Though there is nothing official about the red carpet reception, with a hitherto unheard of organisation, Rajasthan Vikas Manch, taking upon itself the task, the main Opposition party, the Congress has already raised objection to the large-scale arrangements being made for the "entry" of the Chief Minister.

Ms.Raje is expected to reach Delhi from London on Friday, after what the Government circles here claim a successful trip generating goodwill for the State and soliciting investments from abroad. During her 18-day trip which took her to New York and Redmond in the US along with Education Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari and Industries Minister Narpat Singh Rajvi on an invitation from the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA), Ms.Raje met Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and interacted with a cross-section of Non-Resident Rajasthanis.

What if on record the assurances on investments altogether came to only Rs.200 crore, the BJP-led Government here seemingly cannot afford to allow her return to be a low key affair considering the hype attached to the trip. This is specially when the party had challenged the achievements of the previous Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who had initiated the International Rajasthani Conclave (IRC) when he returned from the only trip he made abroad during his tenure in 2003.

Ms.Raje's initiatives abroad were mostly in education, health and investment, and the consultations she had were in continuation to the agreements the Government had already signed with various IT majors and other entrepreneurs. Her hour-long meeting with Mr. Gates resulted in a public-private partnership agreement to work together in education, health and uplift of women.

Back home, more than two-dozen hoardings, showing a larger than life Ms.Raje and over 50 welcome arches, are ready for her all along the 15 km stretch between the airport and her official residence on Civil Lines. PCC president B.D.Kalla, taking umbrage at the "festivities" in the "testing times of Mumbai blasts", said on Thursday that there was no reason to feel "excited" about her return as the trip did not achieve much.

Dr.Kalla also challenged the credentials of Rajasthan Vikas Manch and sought to know the connection between it and Urban Development Minister Pratap Singh Singhvi, whose pictures also figure prominently in the hoardings.

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