Vishvendra Singh targets Govind Singh Dotasra, seeks resignation over Rajasthan Congress rift

Former Rajasthan minister Vishvendra Singh has intensified the internal dispute within the Congress by demanding the resignation of state party president Govind Singh Dotasra and seeking an investigation into allegations concerning recruitment examinations and the distribution of councillor tickets in Bharatpur.

Singh, a member of the erstwhile Bharatpur royal family and considered close to former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, made the allegations in a series of Facebook posts on Wednesday, days after the Congress's poor showing in the Rajasthan urban local body elections.

He alleged that the party's district presidents had favoured their preferred candidates while denying tickets to genuine Congress workers, contributing to the party's defeat. Singh specifically raised questions over the distribution of councillor tickets in Bharatpur and called for Dotasra to step down.

Bharatpur results add to Congress's internal debate

The Bharatpur results were particularly significant for the Congress. Of the 65 wards in the Bharatpur Municipal Corporation, independents won 36, BJP 20 and Congress seven, while the BSP and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party won one seat each. The 36 independent councillors crossed the 33-seat majority mark on their own.

The large independent bloc subsequently became central to the contest for control of the corporation. Reports said both BJP and Congress sought support from the independents, while BJP eventually secured the numbers needed for its candidate Anuradha Singh to become mayor.

Singh has attributed the Congress's performance to what he described as flawed ticket distribution, alleging that district presidents sidelined established workers in favour of their preferred candidates.

Dotasra, however, rejected the suggestion of divisions within the party.

"I want to say that there are no differences or disagreements within us. This is the BJP's toolkit. At places, it tries to spread misinformation and attempts to portray differences among us," he said.

Singh raises questions over RAS selections

Singh also revived allegations relating to the selection of members of Dotasra's extended family in the Rajasthan Administrative Service.

He alleged that Dotasra's daughter-in-law, Pratibha Poonia, her brother Gaurav Poonia and her sister Pragya Poonia received identical scores of 80 marks in their respective interviews in the 2016 and 2018 RAS recruitment processes.

Pratibha Poonia was selected through the 2016 RAS examination, while Gaurav Poonia and Pragya Poonia were selected through the 2018 recruitment process. Singh alleged that the identical interview scores raised questions and claimed that the selections involved misuse of influence.

The issue is not new. Earlier reports from 2021 recorded that Pratibha Poonia and her relatives had received 80 per cent marks in the RAS interviews, while the matter had become a political issue at the time. Dotasra had rejected the criticism and said his daughter-in-law's examination process had taken place when the BJP was in power.

Singh has now demanded a detailed investigation into the allegations.

OBC certificate and REET allegations

The former minister also raised questions over the selection of Dotasra's son, Avinash Singh, in the 2016 RAS examination, alleging that he benefited from an OBC Non-Creamy Layer certificate.

Singh further alleged that Dotasra's son-in-law's father, Ramesh Chand Poonia, belonged to the creamy layer but that his children nevertheless received the benefit of OBC reservation. He called for these allegations to be examined as part of a wider investigation.

Singh also accused Dotasra of presiding over large-scale irregularities in the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers, or REET, during his tenure as education minister.

He said such alleged irregularities had created uncertainty for candidates, particularly the children of farmers and other economically disadvantaged families who had prepared for the examination.

Singh appealed to the BJP government in Rajasthan and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma to order a detailed investigation into the allegations and take appropriate action, arguing that this was necessary to maintain young people's confidence in the government.

Demand for action deepens Congress factional tensions

In his social media posts, Singh said leaders facing corruption allegations should resign or face action from the Congress high command, including expulsion from the party.

His remarks have added another public dimension to the reported differences between Dotasra and Gehlot, with Singh's proximity to the former chief minister giving the latest criticism additional political significance.

The dispute follows a series of public statements in recent days that have highlighted differences among senior Rajasthan Congress leaders. The developments come as the party continues to deal with the aftermath of the urban local body elections.

Singh's allegations remain claims and have not been established by any investigation or court. Dotasra has denied the existence of an internal dispute within the Congress and has described claims of factional differences as an attempt by the BJP to create such an impression.