Rajiv Arora, a jeweller and exporter of artefacts, has emerged as Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s chief trouble shooter. At present he has been given the task to oust Lalit Modi from the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) as its chief. Elections to the cricket body are due on Feb 22. The architect of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and vice president of the BCCI, Modi took over the helm of the Rajasthan Cricket Association about five years ago and his proximity to former chief minister Vasundhara Raje is well known.
Mild mannered and soft spoken Rajiv Arora is a buddy of Ashok Gehlot since his Youth Congress days. Not known as an active party worker, Gehlot made him chairman of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) during his last term as chief minister.
When Arora had a tussle with Bina Kak, the then Minister of State for Tourism, Gehlot sheltered Arora and refused to remove him from the post despite pressure from the party.
When former American President Bill Clinton visited the state, Rajiv Arora was presented as a craftsman to offer some gem studded jewellery to Hilary Clinton. It was Gehlot who took him to Sunil Dutta, when Dutt was minister at the centre. Sunil Dutt helped him become a member of the Film Censor Board.
In the recent Assembly elections, Gehlot gave him a party ticket from the Malviya Nagar constituency in Jaipur which he failed to win.
But despite the defeat, Arora continues to be close to Gehlot who is assigning him work that he is carrying out quietly and maintaining a low profile. But every one in the state knows his position within the inner circle of Gehlot.