On late Saturday night, Lokesh Sharma, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, offered his resignation papers before CM Ashok Gehlot. Lokesh Sharma revealed that he tendered his resignation after the backlash over his tweet ahead of the political crisis in Punjab. His resignation arrived hours after he tweeted a cryptic post.
His tweet in Hindi, when translated to English, is, “The strong is being forced, the insignificant is being strengthened when the fence is eating the crops, who can save such a field.” His tweet has been interpreted as a jab towards the Congress central leadership, which led to the forceful change of leadership in Punjab.
मजबूत को मजबूर, मामूली को मग़रूर किया जाए…
बाड़ ही खेत को खाए, उस फसल को कौन बचाए !!— Lokesh Sharma (@_lokeshsharma) September 18, 2021
He also tweeted a quote from notable humorist Kaka O that indicated, “look at the fast-changing nature, see the changing particles. You remain stuck thinking of fate. Leave it, friend. Leave the ‘dufli’ (musical instrument), bring change in life. Set some standards as you rise above the tradition.”
प्रकृति बदलती क्षण-क्षण देखो, बदल रहे अणु, कण-कण देखो।
तुम निष्क्रिय से पड़े हुए हो, भाग्य वाद पर अड़े हुए हो।
छोड़ो मित्र ! पुरानी डफली, जीवन में परिवर्तन लाओ।
परंपरा से ऊंचे उठ कर, कुछ तो स्टैंडर्ड बनाओ।
-काका हाथरसी— Lokesh Sharma (@_lokeshsharma) September 18, 2021
The tweets arrive from the senior officer amid the Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s resignation following months of brawl within the state unit, and the veteran claiming disgrace, has raised eyebrows in the political sphere of Rajasthan. Rajasthan is one of the last remaining states with Congress in power as they grapple to control resistance and dissent.
However, in his resignation letter, Sharma revealed that he tweets regularly and never intended to harm Congress’ interests ever since he was assigned official responsibilities. Sharma pushed Gehlot to decide upon the resignation, claiming that his posts were interpreted through political colour.