Min Kirori wins public support with raids, party grows uneasy
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Jaipur: Agriculture and panchayati raj minister Kirori Lal Meena's raids on fertiliser and seed godowns have led to tensions within the governing BJP.
Meena, who conducted surprise inspections in Kishangarh on May 29-30 and Gangapur City on June 3, arrived at the locations in auto-rickshaws, catching officials off guard.
While these actions earned him widespread public support, particularly among farmers and unemployed youth, they also created unease within his own party.
"This kind of action sets a wrong precedent," said a BJP senior who requested anonymity. "It undermines institutional functioning and disrupts coordinated governance," he said.
The timing of Meena's first raid, just two days before BJP national president JP Nadda's visit to Rajasthan, raised eyebrows.
The cabinet minister's actions, including bypassing the department of information and public relations for media statements, were viewed as a breach of protocol by the state govt.
This is not Meena's first brush with controversy. Earlier this year, he received a show cause notice for alleging his own govt was tapping his phone. His partial control of agriculture and rural development departments, allocated to him in Dec 2023, was seen as the source of his dissatisfaction. In July 2024, he even submitted his resignation, which wasn't accepted. He later skipped the 2025 state budget session.
The cabinet minister has been vocal about corruption, writing five letters in 2024—two to PM Narendra Modi and three to CM Bhajan Lal Sharma. He continues to support demands for a re-exam of SI-2021, despite the state govt's reluctance.
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