Endless flow of complaints from the organisational leaders, including Chandrabhan, president of Pradesh Congress Party, that Ministers are consistently keeping themselves away from the party workers during their tours of the districts, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had directed all of his ministerial colleagues to tour the districts for three days from February 23. Their visits would be focused to meet the local party leaders.

On the suggestion of Chandrabhan, Ashok Gehlot had called a joint meeting of his Ministers and State level organisational leaders of the party on Saturday evening. Though it was aimed to have a better coordination between party cadre and the Ministers, it turned into a complaint forum as most of the leaders, including Chandrabhan, said that the way Ministers are working, the party could not hope to  face the challenge of the BJP in the coming Assembly elections and added that it could only hope to win nothing more than seventy seats.

He has also said that instead of depending on the  factional fight in the BJP, the Congress leaders should initiate steps to set their own house in order. Chandrabhan said that despite being reminded several times, the Ministers during their tours to the districts, neither meet local party leaders nor bother to visit the party office. "In such a situation, how can the party leadersbuild castles in the air that the party would take the achievements of the government to the masses?" he had staunchly asked.

In a bid to defend the Ministers, Gehlot said that these kind of complaints against the Ministers could not be generalised. There were instances when Ministers went to the party offices and found none of the party functionary available despite prior intimation of their visits. According to sources, Gehlot could not satisfy the organisational leaders. Hence, he directed all the Ministers to visit the districts, where they have been made in-charge, from February 23 for three days, ahead of the  budget session of the State Assembly, to be convened from February 27.