Praising Vasundhara Raje, Vishvendra Singh stirs up hornet’s nest

Congress vice president and Deeg-Kumher MLA Vishvendra Singh has stirred up a hornet’s nest in his party by praising chief minister Vasundhara Raje for her courage to take a stand against her party high command.

Known for courting controversy and shooting from the hip, Singh said he admired the courage displayed by Raje on the issue of new state BJP.

“I admire this lady’s courage and she is the only male in BJP who took firm a stand on BJP president’s issue,” said the legislator, a scion of the erstwhile of Bharatpur royal family.

The firebrand legislator has even in the past ruffled the feathers of the party leadership by his controversial comments. However, he clarified that this statement should not be seen as his inclination towards the BJP. He denied the speculation that he is going to join the BJP.

“These speculations always crop up form time to time but are baseless. I am party’s vice president and not going to join BJP,” Singh told to DNA. 

Last year also he created a stir when he demanded that the party should declare chief ministerial before the assembly elections whereas the party had decided that it will contest elections under ‘collective leadership’. 

Singh holds sway in Bharatpur area. He registered a remarkable victory against BJP’s Digambar Singh in 2013 assembly polls from Deeg-Kumher constituency during the Modi wave.

The two-time Bharatpur MP had joined the Congress on the eve of 2008 assembly polls.

He was political adviser to Raje during her first tenure as chief minister and resigned from Lok Sabha in final year of 2008 alleging that party candidates had been chosen on the basis of money-power.