BIOGRAPHY: RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER VASUNDHARA RAJE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002067

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SUBJECT: BIOGRAPHY: RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER VASUNDHARA RAJE

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Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for reasons 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) On an April 10-14 trip to Rajasthan, PolOff met with
politicians, journalists, NGOs, and academicians to get a fix
on the current state of affairs. This cable is largely
derived from conversations during this trip about Chief
Minister (CM) Vasundhara Raje.

A POLITICAL MAHARANI
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2. (C) A member of the royal Scindia family from the
neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh, Raje is a "Maharani" in
her own right, who took to politics after India's princely
families were stripped of their power by the India
government. The Scindia family is very active in politics,
with members in both the BJP and Congress. Raje's mother
initiated her into politics in 1984 and she won a seat in the
Rajasthan Legislative Assembly in 1985. In 1989, Raje won
the Lok Sabha seat representing the Jhalawar district, where
she served for five terms until 2003. She is close to both
former Prime Minister (PM) Atul Bihari Vajpayee and former
Home Minister L.K. Advani and held a variety of posts in the
Vajpayee government, the most notable being Minister of State
for External Affairs. Raje is a political moderate and
advocates strong relations between India and the United
States. CM Raje assumed her current position on December 8,

2003. In the 2004 elections, her son, Dushyant Singh was
elected to the the Lok Sabha from the Jhalawar district.

A CHIEF MINISTER OF A DIFFERENT CLASS
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3. (C) On April 11, PolOff met Special Correspondent for
India Today, Rohit Parihar, who spoke at length about the
Chief Minister. Raje is the third CM Parihar has covered and
he readily admits she is corrupt, describing the other CM,s
as &holy cows8 compared to her. However, Parihar asserts,
Raje is also extremely eloquent and full of innovative ideas,
though some are too cutting-edge for conservative Rajasthan.
Compliments about Raje flowed from Parihar: well-educated by
nuns at a "convent school", she speaks excellent English, and
is extremely charming, articulate and dynamic. Parihar
described Raje as belonging to a &different class.8


4. (C) Although married, Raje has been separated from her
husband for years. Before moving to Jaipur as CM, she was a
regular on the Delhi party circuit, and her romantic liaisons
were common knowledge. She has renovated the CM's residence
with Italian marble throughout -- although she claims someone
donated it to her. She does not fly in old planes, but in
helicopters, asserting that she has a fear of old planes
after her brother died in a plane crash. Since moving to
Jaipur, she has largely severed her ties to her "fast" Delhi
social circle, claiming it as a "sacrifice" to maintain her
image as CM. She no longer drinks in the evenings and
diligently wakes up every day at 0500 to pray before coming
to work, say our contacts.

NOT AFRAID OF THE MORE RADICAL ELEMENTS OF HER PARTY
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5. (C) Raje belongs to the Hindu nationalist BJP and is a
very devout Hindu (she maintains an elaborate personal temple
in the CM's residence with her own personal Brahmin priest

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and travels frequently on pilgrimages to temples in remote
areas of Rajasthan, often staying alone for days at a time
immersed in prayer and meditation). However, she does not
live by the austere philosophy preached by the RSS ) the
right-wing Hindu group which forms the backbone of the BJP --
and is more cosmopolitan than traditional Rajasthan.


6. (C) Raje,s relationship with the RSS is strained, as she
is not &communal.8 She told Embassy that she attended a
convent school throughout her childhood, including regular
church services and is very comfortable with Christians and
Christianity. At the same time, she has publicly pilloried
Christian missionaries who distribute scurrilous literature
throughout Rajasthan attacking the Hindu faith, saying "ours
is a peacful state, and I will not allow such activities in
Rajasthan." Outspoken in her criticism of the RSS, she does
not fear it or succumb its often outrageous demands for the
"Hinduization" of Rajasthani society.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
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7. (C) Raje has not surrounded herself with good advisors.
Parihar described them as more interested in their own
careers than providing sound advice. Parihar asserted that
they will not hesitate to stab her in the back or watch her
fall for their own advantage. Despite her royal pedigree,
Raje has earned the respect of many reporters and politicians
for creating a more collegial atmosphere in government.
Contacts from Jaipur to Udaipur, praised the closing session
&field trip8 she sponsors for reporters covering the
Legislative Assembly and the MLAs to watch a movie together.


8. (C) On April 14, PolOff met with Girija Vyas, current
Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (and rumored
to be the leading contender to become Rajasthan Chief
Minister should Congress return to power). Vyas assessed
Raje as &more propaganda than progress.8 Noting her good
traits as &vision and access to money,8 Vyas asserted
Raje,s bad traits are more numerous, including arrogance,
corruption, and surrounding herself with bad advisors.
According to Vyas, Raje sought advice on how to improve her
image, after which she stopped drinking publicly in the
evenings, began praying at 0500 and getting to work by 0700
instead of her normal 1000. Vyas further commented that even
if Raje has a vision to move Rajasthan into the future, her
advisors are either not quick or supportive enough to allow
it to happen. Vyas admitted that Raje has done "some good
work," including the implementation of gender budgeting
(Note: this refers to a federally mandated policy to allocate
a percentage of departmental budgets to programs for women
and girls. End Note).

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
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9. (C) Born on March 8, 1953 in Mumbai, Raje earned a BS in
political science and economics from Sophia College, Mumbai
University. Separated from her husband, Hemant Singh, the
former ruler of Dholpur in Rajasthan, the couple has one son,
Dushyant Singh. Raje enjoys reading, listening to music,
gardening, and fashion. We know from personal experience
that she is proud and has a temper.
PYATT