Vishvendra Singh Signals Congress Exit Amid Escalating Rift With Rajasthan PCC Chief Dotasra

Former Rajasthan minister Vishvendra Singh has announced his decision to leave the Congress amid an escalating public confrontation with Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Govind Singh Dotasra, deepening the rift within the state party unit.

Singh, who had criticised Dotasra over the Congress’s performance in the Bharatpur-Deeg region and raised allegations concerning recruitment examinations and organisational functioning, conveyed his decision in a social media post on Friday.

Addressing Dotasra, Singh described his public life as an “open book” and said he had never allowed his reputation to be tarnished.

“It is better to die with dignity than suffer a suffocating death,” Singh wrote, adding that, in keeping with the principles of his ancestors, he believed it was in his best interest to bid farewell to the party.

Singh also said he could no longer associate himself with Dotasra’s policies and methods.

The development comes after the Rajasthan Congress unit reportedly recommended action against Singh over his public statements against the state party chief. Singh announced his decision to quit before any disciplinary action was finalised.

Reacting to the controversy on Thursday, Dotasra said he would not make a final decision based solely on social media posts and that Singh’s views and sentiments would also be taken into consideration.

“I cannot make a final decision based on social media,” Dotasra said, adding that discussions would be held with district presidents.

He said that if the matter involved indiscipline, the party’s disciplinary committee would examine it before it reached the state president.

Dotasra also recalled his past association with Singh, describing him as a senior party leader under whom he had served as a Minister of State. He said any concerns raised by Singh would be heard.

Dotasra further stated that although Singh had shown affection towards him in the past, the two had not held any discussions on organisational matters for around two and a half years.

In another social media post, Singh said he had always made decisions by listening to his deity, Giriraj Maharaj, and his inner voice. He claimed that his workers were upset by statements made by what he called “petty politicians”.

Singh maintained that if refusing to support falsehood and wrongdoing was considered a mistake, he would continue to stand by that position.

He said he had always lived with honour, respect and dignity and had never compromised on his principles and ideals. Reiterating that he had neither committed nor tolerated wrongdoing, Singh described his public life as a gift from the people.

“I live for them, and I will die for them,” he wrote, adding that every drop of his blood had been and would continue to be dedicated to his workers, voters and the people of his constituency and Rajasthan.

Singh subsequently shared another social media post featuring his photograph alongside the Hindi film song “Thahre Hue Pani Mein Kankar Na Maar…”.

The confrontation intensified after Singh levelled a series of allegations against Dotasra. On September 30, Singh accused Dotasra of irregularities in the REET examination process during his tenure as Education Minister and raised questions about marks allegedly awarded to members of Dotasra’s family in Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) interviews.

Referring to the 2016 and 2018 recruitment examinations, Singh cited reports alleging that several relatives of Dotasra had received identical marks in interviews. He also questioned the use of Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy-layer certificates and alleged that members of Dotasra’s extended family had received benefits.

The allegations have not been independently established.

Singh demanded an investigation by the Rajasthan government and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and called for action against Dotasra.

He had also criticised the Congress leadership following the party’s failure to secure a majority in the urban local body elections in Bharatpur and Deeg. Singh held Dotasra, Bharatpur District Congress Committee president Dinesh Supa and Deeg District Congress Committee president Rajiv Chaudhary responsible for the party’s electoral performance.

He challenged Dotasra to visit Bharatpur and criticised the state leadership’s handling of the party organisation.

On October 1, Dotasra responded to the controversy without directly naming Singh, asserting that the Congress remained united. He described the party as a 125-year-old organisation and said its workers had kept him in the post of state president for more than six years.

Dotasra also attributed criticism of the Congress to what he described as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “toolkit”.

Other Congress leaders also responded to Singh’s remarks. Mahila Congress state president Sarika Singh Chaudhary accused him of acting as a “sleeper cell” for the BJP, while state general secretary Deshraj Meena alleged that Singh was acting at the BJP’s behest.

Singh’s announcement marks a further escalation in the dispute with the Rajasthan Congress leadership. He has not yet announced his next political move.