Rajasthan: 'TT' Surendra Pal Singh as minister of state stirs up a hornet's nest

Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma stirred up a hornet's nest on Saturday, 30 December, in Raj Bhawan when he inducted former minister Surendra Pal Singh 'TT' as a minister of state.

The state Congress unit has urged the Election Commission to disqualify Surendra Pal Singh from contesting the countermanded Assembly election from Karanpur, in Sri Ganganagar district, where Singh is the BJP candidate. The elections in Karanpur are due on 5 January 2024. Polling here was deferred because of the death of the Congress candidate, Gurmeet Singh Kooner.

The Congress has also questioned Singh's appointment as a minister when he is not even an MLA.

Both the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasara and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that the a;ppointment of Surendra Pal Singh is a gross violation of the election laws, and sought his dismissal from the post of minister.

Singh used to be a train ticket examiner in the Northern Railway, and got his nickname 'TT' from that job. His first political appointment was as a minister of state in the BJP ministry under Vasundhara Raje.

At Raj Bhawan yesterday, before the swearing in, none in the large crowd of party workers, bureaucrats and police officials—not to mention the media—seemed to have had a clue that Surendra Pal Singh would be sworn in.

On Friday night, 29 December, Singh was apparently asked by the chief minister’s office to rush to Jaipur for an important consultation. He was at the time campaigning in Karanpur, on the border of Rajasthan and Punjab, some 600 km away.

Bhajan Lal Sharma—sworn in himself exactly a fortnight ago, along with his two deputy chief ministers, Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa—has now extended his cabinet by 22 more ministers.

It seem Singh's appointment was approved by the party’s central leadership though he was not yet an MLA. The party may have decided to give Singh its approval as it kills two birds with a single stone. Perchance the BJP high command in Delhi thought that appointing Singh as a minister might ensure his victory in Karanpur too—for Singh was reportedly finding the going tough against the Congress candidate, Rupinder Singh Kooner, son of the late Gurmeet Singh.

Also, by inducting Singh, the BJP looks to be sending a message that it has the support of and will itself support the minority Sikh community in the region.

Of course, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains are often coopted within the Hindu identity where convenient, or at least regarded as Hinduism-adjacent. However, certain other minorities remain absent from this Assembly. The BJP did not nominate a single Muslim candidate this time, though it had a Muslim cabinet minister in Yunus Khan twice under Vasundhara Raje.

Now, RPCC president Dotasara has written a letter to the Election Commission, stating, “The party in power (BJP) has defied the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by administering the oath of office to the BJP candidate from Karanpur. The act is meant to influence the voters as the voting is scheduled in Karanpur on 5 January. His appointment as a minister is a clear violation of the election laws.”

Quoting the laws, Dotasara's letter notes that under clause 32, from the time elections are announced, ministers and other authorities may not offer any financial grants in any form or promises thereof, may not lay any foundation stones or make any ad hoc appointments in the government which could influence voters. Will Singh be able to keep to these guidelines and still function effectively as a new minister is the question for the EC.

Dotasara alleged that the appointment of a contesting candidate as a new minister is also in utter disregard of the principles of free and fair elections, where an equal and level playing field is essential. His appointment, Dotasara wrote, can unduly influence the electorate and is thus an act of serious impropriety. The Election Commission, he held, is duty-bound to conduct elections in a free and fair way, and urged that it must therefore disqualify Singh from contesting out of Karanpur.

Gehlot too called on the Election Commission to take immediate action against Singh, saying he should be debarred from contesting the election from Karanpur.

On the other side, senior BJP leader and former leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Rajendra Singh Rathore quoted Article 164 (4) of the Constitution, arguing that Singh can remain as a minister for six months without becoming MLA—only after that would he be required to stand down if he is defeated in the polls.

Rathore added that the governor of the state also has the right to appoint a person as a minister on the advice of the chief minister, as long as the person thus appointed becomes a member of the Vidhan Sabha within six months of his appointment.

According to Rathore, taking an oath in being inducted into office per Schedule III of the Constitution does not constitute a violation of the Model Code of Conduct either.