Raje supporters parade before BJP leadership

    New Delhi: Over fifty legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Rajasthan met party president Rajnath Singh on Friday to shore up support for former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Raje supporters thronged the national capital in a bid to pressure the party's central leadership to put of a decision to remove her from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly On Wednesday, the BJP high command directed Raje to quit as Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, holding her responsible for the party 's debacle in the elections. The BJP got four Lok Sabha seats in the state in the recent general elections as compared to 23 in the 2004 elections. Raje however, refused to step down and instead decided to parade her supporters as proof of the support she enjoyed before high command. Though Raje has not spoken out on the move, her supporters led by Bharatpur MLA Vijay Bansal have come out in her support. The group is also expected to meet Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani later in the day. Raje is likely to join the team when they meet Advani. According to sources, the RSS top brass has also approved the removal of Raje. In early 2000, Uttar Pradesh strongman Kalyan Singh had also paraded his supporters before the high command, but couldn't escape the sack. The incident suggests a rift brewing before the Shimla Chintan Baithak next week.