Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary on Wednesday abruptly cancelled his visit to the Pravasi Rajasthani Divas, with his party sources linking the decision to displeasure over his name being left out of the event’s advertisement.
A close ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Chaudhary, who is Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, called off his visit hours before the event, catching party workers by surprise.
The development came hours after an official advertisement of the event, appearing in newspapers, did not feature his name as an attendee.
The RLD had put up hoardings across Jaipur to welcome Chaudhary.
“We had arranged around 250 cars with party workers holding banners and flowers for him. Over 100 people had arrived from across Rajasthan to welcome him,” sources told The Indian Express. “At 10.30 am on Wednesday, I got a call from a central RLD leader saying that Jayant ji had cancelled his trip. When I asked why, they told me he was unhappy that his name was missing from the official advertisement.”
The official advertisement that appeared in most major newspapers said: “Our Pravasi Rajasthani brothers and sisters have earned fame in the country and abroad with their skills and hard work and have made the land of Rajasthan proud. To make migrants partners in the development journey of the state, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma took the initiative of organising ‘Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas’ every year.”
“The first Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas is being held in Jaipur today, December 10. This event is an important step in strengthening our relationship with the diaspora,” it said, adding that those in attendance would be Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde, Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Bhupender Yadav, CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria.
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When contacted, Chaudhary cited the ongoing Rajya Sabha session as the reason, and did not comment on the row.
RLD tied up with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Chaudhary’s decision is learnt to have caused some confusion in the Chief Minister’s Office, with sources claiming that calls were made asking him to reconsider. When contacted, however, officials in the CMO dismissed claims of a controversy.
“We have put many hoardings all over the city to welcome Jayant Chaudhary. There must be some other issue as Parliament is in session. We didn’t receive any complaint from the MP’s office expressing displeasure over the event,” an official said.
