Why Vasundhara Raje Is Making Headlines Again

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje may not be at the centre stage of politics in Rajasthan anymore, but a statement attributed to her, and a poetic counter from a party colleague, are dominating headlines in the state. 

Vasundhara Raje was participating in a public outreach yatra on Thursday in Manohar Thana along with her son, Dushyant Singh. 

While addressing the gathering from the stage, she remarked on the bond she shares with the people of her constituency, saying: "You should continue to maintain love and keep your trust in me. These small issues will keep happening - someone's house is not getting built, someone's pension is not being released, someone hasn't received compensation. Someone else got it, I didn't - that also happens. This is the world, it goes on. But, together, we will try to resolve these issues.

"I have said, it happens with me too, I could not do anything even for myself. I lost mine. I could not save myself," she said.

The statement went viral immediately and remained a topic of discussion in political circles for two days.

On social media, many people claimed that this reflected her pain over not getting the chief minister's post.

Political Reactions

When former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav visited Jaipur, a journalist asked him about Raje's statement.

"Let me speak my mind - if Vasundhara ji were the Chief Minister, better work would have been done," he said. 

The political ripples continued, and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, not one to miss a political opportunity, joined in. Speaking to journalists, he agreed with Akhilesh Yadav's remarks.

During his visit to Bikaner on Saturday, BJP Rajasthan President Madan Rathore was finally compelled to respond: "All of Vasundhara ji's work is being done; she is the national vice president. How could she not save herself? No one becomes chief minister every time," he said. 

Rathore went on to recite a couplet in Marwari: "Dethi koni kore moong ki, maange ghee aur daal. Moti tu kyon jhagdo kare, dekhi thaari naar".

The couplet means if you get a dry piece of bread or chapati to eat, do so by pouring lots of lentils and ghee on it, suggesting that you can't always fight with what's given to you.

Sources said the political ramifications of Raje's speech, quoted out of context, could have a fallout on the party's profile in Rajasthan.

Sources in the BJP have questioned whether Raje was even asked to explain the context of the speech before senior party leaders reacted publicly.

This clearly signals a gulf in the BJP, which is trying to establish a new generation of leadership in Rajasthan that is trying to emerge from the political shadows of Raje, who is recognised in the state for her charisma and grassroots leadership.

Sources in the Raje camp have stressed that she has maintained a low profile in the recent past as she wants to give the new generation to grow.

Vasundhara Raje's Take

As the matter escalated, Vasundhara Raje issued a clarification, calling it a conspiracy.

"For me, there is no position greater than the love of the people, which I am receiving the most," she said. 

जिस बयान पर घमासान,उसी पर अब सफाई !#VasundharaRaje#MadanRathore#RajasthanPolitics#RajasthanNews#BreakingNews#BigStatement#PowerStruggle#RajasthanBJP@VasundharaBJP pic.twitter.com/nnlF8Un5vl

— NDTV Rajasthan (@NDTV_Rajasthan) April 11, 2026

She maintained that she never spoke about any position and explained that a four-lane road is being constructed through her Assembly constituency, and people were demanding a change in its alignment.

Giving an example, she said that when a national highway passed in front of her house in Dholpur, she too had to move her boundary wall back. Due to regulations, she could not even save her own house, so how could she save someone else's?

She added that Jhalawar is not just a political constituency for her but like a family, where such informal conversations take place.

Raje made it clear that her statement was not about the chief minister's post, but about road alignment and house demolition issues.