Jaipur, July 1 -- State BJP president Madan Rathore, in an interview with Pulkit Bhardwaj, addresses speculation over cabinet expansion amid murmurs of a disconnect between the state party organisation and the government led by chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. He also spoke candidly about the government's handling of Dr Kirodi Lal Meena's public interventions, his recent confrontation with Nagaur MP Hanumal Beniwal, delays in the conduct of local body elections and the BJP's strategy to strengthen its organisation ahead of future electoral battles. That perception is incorrect. Ministers are always heard. There may be only one or two exceptions. The chief minister works till late at night and regularly meets people, MLAs and ministers. Genuine work of party workers is being done, but demands must be legitimate. Dr Kirodi Lal Meena is a senior and experienced leader. If he notices something wrong, he takes action. But he does not need to conduct raids personally. He has a team to do that. I clearly told him (Meena) it was not the right approach. He was disappointed that neither the party nor the government defended him. I explained that we knew he had done nothing wrong, so there was no need for a public clarification. Responding would only have prolonged the controversy. Whoever was found guilty has been arrested... We have also asked our MLAs and ministers to keep a close watch on their personal staff, as any wrongdoing by them ultimately reflects on the public representative. The matter is under investigation. The law will take its own course. Rules apply equally to everyone. Even when my own son appeared for an examination, I did not allow him to claim OBC reservation because the creamy layer provisions applied to me as an MLA. The same principles apply to everyone else. Unlike the Congress government, we did not remove people appointed during their regime overnight. We allowed many office-bearers, including Additional Advocate Generals (AAGs), to complete their tenures because we do not believe in political discrimination. That is why appointments have taken longer than expected. Cabinet expansion is entirely the chief minister's prerogative. There are a few vacancies, but he will decide the timing. If the party is consulted, its role is limited to suggesting names if asked. Similarly, if the organisation requires a minister to take up party responsibilities, we can make that request. Certainly. Why not? It could be an experienced minister who understands organisational work well. In fact, the matter has nothing to do with the government. The issue regarding the OBC reservation report is between the Election Commission and the OBC Commission. Political differences are natural, but there should be decorum. Calling the chief minister and the cabinet "fools" is unacceptable. On the day of the protest, I was prepared to step out and accept their memorandum, but someone began hitting my vehicle with a stick. My security personnel advised me not to get out. Imagine if I had stepped out and someone had physically confronted me. A law-and-order situation would have been difficult to avoid. But we deliberately avoided escalating the situation because politics should not descend into confrontation. I do not consider such language appropriate. Regardless of how others behave, we must maintain dignity in public life. We should never lower ourselves to that level. She is our national vice-president, which itself is a major responsibility. The party respects her and Rajmata Vijaya Raje's contribution, and values her experience. There has never been any question about that. The couplet I quoted was about destiny. The word 'Modi' referred to a shopkeeper, not Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as some assumed. My point was simply that everyone gets what is destined for them. I never imagined I would become the BJP's Rajasthan president after being denied a ticket twice. My remarks were misinterpreted and linked to Vasundhara ji. She (Raje) has a large heart. After the controversy, she herself invited me to accompany her to a programme and never even mentioned the issue. I have great respect for her and can never say anything against her. It had nothing to do with anger. I had been told about an earlier incident in which a participant suffered burn injuries during a torch march. Since the chief minister and I were to attend, I inspected the arrangements and found women standing too close together with lit torches. I advised them to maintain distance or use a symbolic torch instead. My only concern was safety. Even a minor accident could have turned tragic, so I asked the organisers to conclude the programme. Our goal is to strengthen the organisation at every level. We want political opponents to become supporters, supporters to become voters, voters to become party workers, and workers to emerge as future leaders....