Maverick minister, phone tapping charges and rift in Rajasthan BJP: Why Kirodi Meena is a rebel without a pause

Kirodi Lal Meena

A phone-tapping row has provoked a massive political storm in Rajasthan. Shockingly, it’s not the opposition but a senior Cabinet minister Kirodi Lal Meena who has accused his own BJP government of snooping on him by tapping his phone.The charges have sharpened the internal strife in the ruling BJP and armed the Congress with substantial ammunition to attack the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led state government.

Popularly known as ‘Kirodi Baba’ in East Rajasthan, Meena claims the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is monitoring his communications. Last week, when the tribal strongman asserted at a public event in Jaipur that “my own government is tapping my phone and has assigned CID to keep me under surveillance”, it hinted at strong internal discord and serious trust deficit in the ruling BJP. A video of Meena accusing his own government of tapping his phone for raising issues of corruption soon went viral on Social Media.

The opposition quickly capitalized on the opportunity. Wearing black bands in the Rajasthan Assembly, Congress MLAs vociferously demanded Chief Minister Bhajan Lal's resignation. Leader of Opposition, Tikaram Jully, taunted that though CM was thought of “as a bhola aadmi (simple man) but we got to know today that you have an interest in spying and phone tapping.” No wonder, Assembly proceedings are being repeatedly disrupted over the phone-tapping charges, reflecting the gravity of the crisis that’s erupted for the BJP.

Days after Meena's allegations, Rajasthan BJP President issued a show-cause notice accusing Kirodi Lal of indiscipline and ‘tarnishing’ the party's image. Emphasizing it was issued “on the direction of the national president of the BJP”, it sought explanation within three days as the phone-tapping charge was “considered by the national president of the BJP as indiscipline”. Meena claims he has committed no wrong as he's a “disciplined soldier” of the BJP.

The phone-tapping fracas, however, is hardly the first time that Kirodi Lal has embarrassed the BJP. Given Vasundhara Raje’s troubles with BJP bosses, Meena hoped to get the CM post after the last assembly polls in view of his seniority being next only to the former CM in the legislative wing. But the hopes of the six-time MLA were dashed as the BJP top brass picked newbie MLA Bhajan Lal for the top job while denying Meena even the deputy CM post.

Upset at the Agriculture and Rural Development portfolios given to him, Meena has been at loggerheads with his party and government since its inception in December 2023. Being the most aggressive and visible BJP leader in the previous five years of Congress rule, the firebrand Meena felt let down especially as vital elements of his ministry were also denied to him.

Not surprisingly, Meena shot off missives to CM Bhajan over alleged corruption and dubious deals in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections! Flagging lapses in a housing project in Jaipur, Meena alleged a loss of 1,146 crores to the state exchequer and even alleged bunglings in the quality of pipelines being laid in villages under the Har Ghar Jal Scheme.

After BJP was jolted in the Lok Sabha polls in Rajasthan, where its seats got reduced from 25 to 14, Meena resigned on the pretext of not fulfilling his promise of victory in east Rajasthan that he had made to PM Narendra Modi. Though his resignation has still not been accepted, Meena has neither attended office, nor used his official car and residence till date and from CM Bhajan to BJP high command, none has been able to persuade him to work as minister.

Insiders claim Meena’s resignation was aimed at escalating pressure on CM Bhajan and his claims of ‘moral responsibility’ were a ploy to push party bosses to fix accountability for the BJP’s Lok Sabha debacle in the state since BJP had lost even in Bhajanlal’s home district of Bharatpur. Kirori’s animosity deepened further when his brother Jagmohan Meena was defeated in an assembly by-poll of Dausa which he alleged was due to ‘internal sabotage’.

The growing Kirodi-Bhajan bitterness has led Meena to corner the state government on one issue or the other. Meena, who repeatedly raked up lack of action on Paper leaks under the former Congress government, criticised his own government in November 2024 over its police action on students demanding the cancellation of the sub-inspector exam of 2021. In a press conference at the official residence of Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh, Kirodi even accused the Bhajan government of spying on him.

Just ahead of the Rising Rajasthan Summit last December, Meena created another furore by claiming “the state Intelligence has sent a report to the government that I want to disrupt the Investment Summit of Rajasthan.” Terming the Intelligence report as a “conspiracy to tarnish my image” Kirodi asked, “will I do this as a minister?”

Recently, Kirodi created a fresh row by claiming that he’s in trouble as he’s not a ‘Yes-Man’. In a media interaction, Meena said that in the “Durbar of Yes-Yes, whoever says ‘No’ faces huge hassles.” In effect, Meena had virtually ruined the optics for the BJP just before the crucial Budget session of the state Assembly!

Meena’s phone-tapping charges now have deep implications. Allegations of surveillance by a minister are bound to erode public trust in the government's integrity. It has also given the Congress a chance to question the BJP's governance and bolster its own position in the state. And of course, Meena's charges expose the rift within the BJP, which could diminish its effectiveness in governance.

In a nutshell, Minister Meena's phone-tapping row has plunged the Rajasthan BJP into a huge crisis - and the episode raises grave questions on party discipline and governance ethics. Only a crystal ball gazer can predict whether BJP will take tough action against its tallest tribal leader with a huge mass base or whether Kirodi will backtrack. The outcome is being closely watched in political circles across Rajasthan.