Jaipur:
It's a new twist in the Vasundhara Raje saga. For the past two months she's been under attack by her critics who want her to resign as Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan. But embarrassingly for Raje, now one of her loyalists has targeted her.
Mahendra Singh Rathore was appointed by Vasundhara Raje as an Officer on Special Duty as soon as she became chief minister. A known Raje loyalist, Rathore saw the five years of her government from close quarters. But now in a letter listing several weaknesses of her government, he has advised Raje to resign immediately.
"I've written that people used to say that corruption was rampant in our government, that many of those sitting in positions of power were incapable people who were not recognised even by party workers. All this has damaged us for I believe that your image is a reflection of what you are," says Rathore.
In his letter, Rathore has reportedly claimed that people referred to the Raje government as a ''merciless slaughter house'' that indulged in corrupt deals. He blames a coterie of Raje sycophants for this terrible reputation.
But those who are still loyal to Raje say Rathore is only an opportunist.
"He was an OSD of the Chief Minister and he used to be with her all 24 hours everyday. Why didn't he give these lectures then? I think he is motivated by some petty politics," says Rajendra Singh, BJP MLA and former Cabinet minister in the erstwhile Raje government.
Raje has always been under attack from the RSS faction that is lobbying hard for her resignation. And now with one of her loyalists rebelling openly, Raje's problems seem set to escalate.