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Meena leader dents Congress, BJP form with tribal appeal
As the two political stalwarts - the BJP and the Congress - informally kicked off their election campaign from tribal-dominated Banswara on Saturday, maverick Meena community leader Kirori Lal Meena stepped his efforts to forge a third front. Over the last two days, he has addressed over a dozen meetings in the tribal-dominated areas of Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh and Udaipur to mobilise support of tribal communities.
To match the resources of the two major parties, he hired a helicopter and addressed as many as six meetings in a day. He would continue to tour the area till Friday, before moving to Hadauti region of the State.
Talking to The Pioneer, Meena, an Independent Lok Sabha member, said he was getting ready to launch the much-awaited third front and the same would be formally announced by middle of January. Meena, a former BJP leader, had quit the party on the eve of 2008 Assembly elections and had fielded several candidates in Meena-dominated districts of Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur. In its post-poll assessment, BJP leaders realised that presence of Meena-supported independents cost the party about a dozen. If he had remained with the party, BJP would have retained power.
Since then, BJP leaders are making efforts to win him over. But he wants his price -- candidates in Meena and other tribal areas should to his liking.
As he has established himself as a supreme leader of his community, Meena is trying to penetrate in tribal dominated southern part of the State.
According to reports reaching here, his public meetings in these areas are attracting considerable crowd. He is telling the tribal that no Government had made efforts to help the tribal population and that was the reason that even after 65 years of independence, their conditions are still pathetic in the State.
At the same time, he has also praised the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat for the development of tribal areas and assured them if he came to power he would replicate the Gujarat model for development tribal areas in Rajasthan. “I am in touch with those BJP and Congress leaders, besides other smaller parties, who are not happy with their leaders. They are willing to join my party” Meena said.
As the two political stalwarts - the BJP and the Congress - informally kicked off their election campaign from tribal-dominated Banswara on Saturday, maverick Meena community leader Kirori Lal Meena stepped his efforts to forge a third front. Over the last two days, he has addressed over a dozen meetings in the tribal-dominated areas of Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh and Udaipur to mobilise support of tribal communities.
To match the resources of the two major parties, he hired a helicopter and addressed as many as six meetings in a day. He would continue to tour the area till Friday, before moving to Hadauti region of the State.
Talking to The Pioneer, Meena, an Independent Lok Sabha member, said he was getting ready to launch the much-awaited third front and the same would be formally announced by middle of January. Meena, a former BJP leader, had quit the party on the eve of 2008 Assembly elections and had fielded several candidates in Meena-dominated districts of Dausa, Karauli and Sawai Madhopur. In its post-poll assessment, BJP leaders realised that presence of Meena-supported independents cost the party about a dozen. If he had remained with the party, BJP would have retained power.
Since then, BJP leaders are making efforts to win him over. But he wants his price -- candidates in Meena and other tribal areas should to his liking.
As he has established himself as a supreme leader of his community, Meena is trying to penetrate in tribal dominated southern part of the State.
According to reports reaching here, his public meetings in these areas are attracting considerable crowd. He is telling the tribal that no Government had made efforts to help the tribal population and that was the reason that even after 65 years of independence, their conditions are still pathetic in the State.
At the same time, he has also praised the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat for the development of tribal areas and assured them if he came to power he would replicate the Gujarat model for development tribal areas in Rajasthan. “I am in touch with those BJP and Congress leaders, besides other smaller parties, who are not happy with their leaders. They are willing to join my party” Meena said.
