Vaibhav has to prove himself a mass leader: Gehlot

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said that his son Vaibhav Gehlot will have to prove himself as a leader.

Vaibhav Gehlot (39) is the Congress candidate from Jodhpur, his hometown.

Speaking to media at his residence, 49 civil lines on Saturday afternoon, Ashok Gehlot said, "In politics one has to prove himself especially after the party has chosen him (Vaibhav) person for a higher responsibility".

Congress in Rajasthan has so far announced 19 candidates out of the 25 seats.

Vaibhav, who is contesting for the first time, will be up against BJP's senior leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

His father had contested the Lok Sabha polls since 1980 from Jodhpur.

Ashok Gehlot's popularity has risen in Marwar and he is known as "Marwar ka Gandhi' (Gandhi of Marwar).

Targeting the BJP, the chief minister said, "They BJP wanted Congress-mukt Bharat but they have ended up with Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi mukt BJP".

"There is no room for veterans in the BJP. Similarly, leaders like Shahnawaz Hussain and Mukhtiar Abbas Naqvi should by now understand the party's ideology and quit it as soon as possible," he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP in Rajasthan criticised Congress leader P C Chacko, who described the Gandhi family as the country's first family.

"This is the Congress mindset and culture of sycophancy which resembles Devkant Barooah who used to say in Emergency: 'Indira is India, India is Indira'", Senior BJP leader and Rajasthan election incharge, Prakash Javadekar said.

Criticising Vaibhav's candidature, Javadekar added, "For the BJP, poor family is the first family of the country and not any dynasty. Dynasty is the Congress' culture".